The Webby Awards

What The Webby Awards does

The Webby Awards is a private, for-profit international awards organization founded in 1997 and headquartered in New York City, that recognizes excellence across the Internet. Its core product is the annual Webby Awards competition, which evaluates entries across eight media types — Websites & Mobile Sites, Video & Film, Advertising Media & PR, Podcasts, Social & Games, Apps Software & Immersive, Creators, and AI — judged by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), a 3,000+ member panel, alongside the public-voted People's Voice Awards. The annual cycle is anchored by the Webby Awards Show, an in-person New York ceremony featuring the organization's iconic five-word acceptance speech tradition, with the 30th edition hosted by Josh Johnson in May 2026.

The business operates three digitally distributed revenue streams: (1) entry fees of $105 (student) to $255 (standard) per submission; (2) corporate sponsorships from a roster tiered as Flagship (Adobe), Core (WP Engine since 2019, Meltwater, NAACP), and Minor (ElevenLabs, Meta Lab, Framer, KPMG, Patreon); and (3) ancillary revenue from trophy/merchandise sales, ceremony tickets, and branded content such as the annual Webby Trend Reports and the Webby Awards Indexes. Supporting infrastructure consists of a digital submission platform (entries.webbyawards.com), a public voting platform (vote.webbyawards.com), a searchable Winners Gallery (winners.webbyawards.com), and editorial programs such as "Crafted with Code" produced with WP Engine. The organization operates with an 11–50 employee base on a seasonal, event-driven cadence.

Scale metrics include 13,000+ entries submitted annually from 70+ countries, 4.6 million People's Voice votes cast by approximately 940,000 participants, 22 billion media impressions from coverage in outlets including CNN, BBC, NYT, Variety, and the Hollywood Reporter, and a 4% acceptance rate (702 awards given in 2025). Past winners and honorees include Apple, Google, Netflix, NPR, Anthropic, Waymo, The New York Times, and Shonda Rhimes, underscoring the program's brand cachet among both enterprise technology buyers and cultural figures. Leadership comprises Executive Director Jesse Feister and General Manager Nick Borenstein; no parent company, outside investors, or institutional funding is disclosed in the available data.

Name

The Webby Awards

Legal name

The Webby Awards

Website

https://webbyawards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Webby Awards is a 30-year-old, private Internet awards organization recognizing digital excellence across eight media categories. It monetizes through per-entry fees, tiered corporate sponsorships, and an annual New York ceremony, serving 13,000+ annual entrants from 70+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Awards & Recognition

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting) (MPAGAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarships, Grants & Donor-Funded Awards Management (EDALAJAB)

Keywords

• Digital awards program
• Internet excellence awards
• Annual awards competition
• Digital creativity recognition
• Industry awards judging

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Entry Fees: The Webby Awards generates revenue through entry fees for submissions to the annual awards competition. Categories range from $255 for standard entries to $105 for student categories.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors including Adobe, WP Engine, Meltwater, Patreon, ElevenLabs, Meta Lab, Framer, NAACP, and KPMG sponsor the annual awards ceremony and related events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Webby Awards is an annual awards program honoring excellence on the Internet across eight media types (Websites & Mobile Sites, Video & Film, Advertising Media & PR, Apps Software & Immersive, Social & Games, Podcasts, Creators, and AI). The core offering combines a judged competition by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) with a public People's Voice voting component, complemented by an annual in-person ceremony featuring iconic five-word acceptance speeches.

Product overview

The Webby Awards is an annual awards program honoring excellence on the Internet, now in its 30th year. The core offering consists of the Webby Awards Competition across eight media types (Websites & Mobile Sites, Video & Film, Advertising Media & PR, Apps Software & Immersive, Social & Games, Podcasts, Creators, and AI), the Webby People's Voice Awards for public voting, the annual Webby Awards Show/Ceremony, and Special Achievement Awards. Supporting products include Winner Resources, Nominee Resources, and Honoree Resources (campaign kits, PR tips, logos/badges), plus the Entry Platform and People's Voice Voting Platform. Additional offerings encompass research publications (Webby Trend Reports, Webby Awards Indexes), editorial content (Crafted with Code series), and commemorative programs (Webby30).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Webby Awards Competition The flagship annual awards program accepting entries across eight media types (Websites & Mobile Sites, Video & Film, Advertising Media & PR, Apps Software & Immersive, Social & Games, Podcasts, Creators, and AI) from over 70 countries, with winners selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Entry fees are $255 per standard category and $105 for student categories.
• Webby People's Voice Awards

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of Webby Winners attribute their win to earning new business
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• AdobeflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAdobe is a major sponsor of The Webby Awards, presenting the Webby Special Achievement in Creative AI award. The partnership extends to joint initiatives promoting responsible, creator-led AI that maintains human authorship at the center of creative storytelling.
• WP EnginecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWP Engine is a sponsor of The Webby Awards, partnering since 2019 on the 'Crafted with Code' initiative that shares stories behind the best of the Web through interviews with developers, designers, and creators.
• MeltwatercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMeltwater is a strategic partner producing the annual Webby Trend Reports, including the 2025 'it's giving brainrot' report and 2026 'Trust the Generative Process' AI report exploring digital culture trends.
• ElevenLabsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerElevenLabs is a sponsor of The Webby Awards, supporting the annual celebration of digital excellence.
• Meta LabminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMeta Lab is a sponsor of The Webby Awards.
• FramerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFramer is a sponsor of The Webby Awards.
• NAACPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAACP partners with The Webby Awards on the Webby Advocate of the Year award and the 'Black & Viral' event series celebrating Black digital excellence.
• KPMGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKPMG is a sponsor of The Webby Awards.
• PatreonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPatreon is a sponsor of The Webby Awards.
• International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS)flagshipOthersIADAS is the judging Academy for The Webby Awards, providing 3,000+ industry experts including judges like Paris Hilton, Yann LeCun, Tekedra Mawakana, and others to evaluate entries across all categories.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Clio Awards: Long-established international awards program for creative excellence in advertising. Comparable awards-as-business model with entry fees and sponsorships, broader in advertising specialty but overlapping significantly on the Webby's Advertising, Media & PR categories.
• Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity: The most prestigious global award for creative communications and advertising. Comparable event-driven recognition business model with entry fees, sponsorships, and an annual ceremony, though at significantly larger scale and broader creative scope.
• Effie Awards: Global awards program recognizing marketing effectiveness. Comparable entry-fee and sponsorship model serving the same brand and agency customer base, though focused on measurable marketing impact rather than creative execution.
• The One Show: Global awards for creative excellence in advertising and design. Comparable entry-fee awards business operated by The One Club for Creativity, with overlapping brand/agency customers but broader advertising focus rather than Internet-native categories.
• D&AD Awards: International awards for design and advertising excellence. Comparable professional recognition business with entry fees and judged categories, though focused on design craft rather than the full breadth of Internet categories the Webby covers.

Direct peers

• The Podcast Academy (The Ambies): Professional organization hosting The Ambies awards for podcast excellence. Direct competitor in the podcast category—a core Webby vertical—with comparable judged awards, membership dues, and ceremony-driven business model.
• Shorty Awards: Awards program honoring excellence in social media, content, and digital marketing. Closely comparable business model—entry fees plus sponsorships, with both judged and public voting components—targeting overlapping brand and agency customers.
• Streamy Awards: Annual awards program honoring excellence in online video and digital creators. Direct competitor to the Webby Awards in the digital creator recognition space, though narrower in scope (focused on streaming/YouTube rather than the full Internet). Operated by Tubefilter/VidCon.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheWebbyAwards
• YouTubeyoutube.com/webby
• Facebookfacebook.com/thewebbyawards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-webby-awards
• Instagraminstagram.com/thewebbyawards
• TikToktiktok.com/@thewebbyawards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Webby Awards