Webby Winners

The websites of British news organizations are world-beaters.

2009 Webby Awards, announced today, go to the Guardian for best online newspaper website and the BBC for best news website. Other UK winners include the Economist, which won the best political blog award for Democracy in America, and the Tate gallery, whose Tate Kids site captured the top award in the youth category.

The Guardian, which has captured the best online newspaper award for four of the past five years (losing last year to nytimes.com), won additional 2009 Webby awards for best podcast and best religion and spirituality site, the latter in recognition of the Belief section of Comment Is Free. The BBC captured a Lifestyle award for its online climate change initiative, Bloom.

The international Webby Awards, established in 1996 and described as "the Oscars of the Internet," honor online excellence in more than 100 categories. The Webbys are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-member body of leading Web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities.

This year's awards, which will be formally presented at a ceremony in June in New York, received nearly 10,000 entries from more than 60 countries.

The Webbys include two honours: The Webby Award and The People's Voice Award. Members of the Academy select nominees for both awards and pick the winners in the first category; online users pick the People's Voice Award winners.

Users agreed with Academy members in selecting the BBC as the top news website this year. Alphaville, a live online markets report from the Financial Times, won the People's Voice Award for best business blog.

A complete list of past and current nominees and winners can be accessed from the Webby site.