Nowadays, it seems like they are giving awards for just about anything. And every day, something new comes up. But if you are not familiar with Awwwards, now is the time to do so, especially if you are working with or interested in web design, as this awards ceremony attracts the best and brightest from the industry.

What are Awwwards?

Awwwards are a professional competition for web design and web development, whose ultimate goal is to popularize and promote innovations in the field of web design. It is based in Spain, and it has been around since 2009. The competition itself is held online, and all year round people can apply and have their website judged and compared to other websites that applied. It is a very popular website, as it has an average of more than two million visits each month, by enthusiastic web designers who want to become better at what they do.

How are websites judged?

There are numerous criteria upon which the performance of the website is judged. The jury consists of a large number of members, and all of them are eminent engineers, developers, designers, journalists, and representatives of IT companies from all around the world. Such a diverse jury then has the task to assess each competitor based on several criteria, including the design of a website, its usability, the creativity that was employed in making it, the content the website provides, as well as the mobile version of the website, which needs to be at least as good as the desktop version.

How are the winners picked?

There are several winners, based on the category that you are looking at. The competition is held year-round, and there are winners declared every day. The first phase of the nomination is choosing the Site of the Day, where each chosen website makes it into the Awwwards’ yearbook. After thirty of them pass, the second voting phase begins, when the Site of the Month is chosen. All Site of the Month winners move into the final phase of the competition when the jury chooses the Site of the Year. After that, Awwwards has a conference, when an awards ceremony is made, and the ultimate winner is given a prize.  

What activities do the Awwwards organize?

Aside from the annual prize-giving, there are also numerous conferences, conceived as two-day events, who bring together the very best that the world of web design has to offer, from as many as 40 countries all around the globe.

Why are Awwwards important?

Although relatively unknown to people who do not work in web design, they provide a valuable opportunity for all who are enthusiastic about it to improve their work and learn from people who are very successful in their fields of work. Not everyday people can attend an event and listen to people from companies such as Adobe, Fantasy, Airbnb, Google, Dropbox, and many others share their thought process, their work, and their inspiration. Events such as these are very significant, as they are the place where the future begins.