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WebAward's Judging - Determining the Best of the Web

Here is how the WebAward judging process works:

Each site is assigned to three or more expert judges for evaluation.  The Award Judges are informed of the mission statement and prospective audience for the site and provided a link with password, if needed, to enter and review the site.

Award judges are not told who submitted the entry or to which category it is entered.  They then visit the site, starting with the URL provided on the entry form, and assume the role of a target user.  After reviewing the site, they enter their scores and record their observations and comments before moving on to the next site.

At the conclusion of judging, the two highest scores are averaged for the final score.  Any lower scores are dropped, although the comments from the judges are retained and provided to the participants if the site received them.

Entries will be judged on the following seven criteria on a scale of 0-10 points:

  • Design
  • Innovation
  • Content
  • Technology
  • Interactivity
  • Copywriting
  • Ease of use

Each site is judged on each of the seven criteria, earning a score between 0 and 70 points.  The highest score in a given category wins Best Web site of that industry.

If the remaining entries receive a score of 60 or greater, they receive the Outstanding Website WebAward.

Entries receive the Standard of Excellence WebAward when their score is above the average of their industry, but below 60 points.

Only one Best Website of each industry will be given (except in the case of a tie). The Outstanding Web Site and Standard of Excellence WebAwards may have multiple winners in each category. If all scores in a particular category are below the standard minimum, no award will be granted for that category.

To learn more about the WebAward judges, please visit About Our Judges.

If you are an experienced Internet professional and would like to be considered as a potential judge, please go to the Judges Nomination Form.

If you want to enter the 2024 WebAwards, create a Nominator Account here.