• by Masha Geller , June 6, 2003

With thousands of fans and nominees tuning in from more than 90 countries and 185 parties worldwide, The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences this week honored the world's best websites in the first Webby Awards announcement to take place completely online.

In a tribute to the medium it celebrates, the Academy produced a spirited, community-driven online experience in which Webby Awards were handed out in 31 categories, including Activism, Film, and Humor. In keeping with Webby tradition, animated characters designed by the winners delivered the famous five-words-or-less acceptance speeches.

Capping a year that saw the web play an increasingly central role in everyday life, winners ranged from upstarts like MeetUp.com (Best Community) and MoveOn.org (Best Politics), two sites that are using the web in innovative ways to organize people worldwide, to web stalwarts like Google (Best News), eBay (Best Services), and ESPN.com (Best Sports).

Several sites won both a Webby Award and a People's Voice Award, which is determined by the public. Dual winners included: NASA Earth Observatory for Best Education; PayPal for Best Finance; Do-It-Yourself Network for Best Living; Lonely Planet Online for Best Travel; and Flaming Lips for Best Music.

Additionally, Nielsen//NetRatings today announced the recipient of the Rising Star award at the 7th Annual Webby Awards was Snapfish.com - the Web's fastest growing site.

For a list of all this year's Webby winners, visit the Webby website.