1 688 examples of people doing awesome stuff on the web

The web is dead. Except it’s not. It’s just constantly changing. There’s still tons of space for innovation in and around it.

That’s why the likes Medium, Tumblr, Mashable, Angry Birds Star Wars and Humans of New York are among those nominated for The 17th Annual Webby Awards. Nike leads all nominations with 17 nods, followed closely by Google, The New York Times and HBO with 12 nominations each.

Established in 1996, the Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) and are colloquially referred to as the “Oscars of the internet”. Famous for their five-word acceptance speeches, the awards have honoured innovators like World Wide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners Lee and Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington, and top online players such as Facebook, Wikipedia, and Pinterest.

This year, the awards received more than 11 000 entries from over 65 countries. Of those, seven percent — five in each category — are recognized as Nominees.

Many of this year’s nominees reflect the ever-growing roll social experiences play in helping consumers discover new content, videos, communities and brands. Others succeed by confirming the significant effect mobile and tablet devices have had in taking Internet access well beyond the typical confines of home and work. From Obama For America (Social Media Campaigns), NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover (Best Overall Social Presence) and Red Bull Stratos (Branded Entertainment) to Netflix (Mobile Media Streaming) and MLB.com At Bat (Mobile Events), the profound impact of social curation and mobile devices on popular culture and business is strikingly evident in this year’s Webby Nominees.

“Every year we are constantly amazed by the innovations Webby Nominees push forward and this year is no exception,” said David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “This year’s nominees reflect a new personal and pervasive Internet where friends and people we trust are our curators and mobile devices stretch the network into the most discreet places in our lives. It is truly an internet made by everyone, accessed from anywhere.”

Projects featuring some of the world’s most talented cultural and creative innovators as well as newly minted internet stars also earned recognition. Webby Nominees range from superstar Charlize Theron (Charlize Theron Gets Hacked) to Tom Hanks (Electric City Show) and Lady Gaga (Gaga’s Workshop), and Jennifer Hudson (Weight Watchers 360) to breakouts like Chris Hardwick (Chris Hardwick’s All Star Celebrity Bowling) and Lena Dunham (Lena Dunham for Obama for America “First Time”) to favorites like Jerry Seinfeld for “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and Beck for “Hello Again: Beck 360:Experience” its groundbreaking interactive music experience.

While Academy members like Arianna Huffington, Instagram founder Kevin Systrom and musician David Bowie select the Webby winners, internet fans from all over the world will also help decide who takes home a Webby by voting in The Webby People’s Voice Awards. Last year, Internet voters cast over two-million votes, setting a Webby Awards record.

This year’s winners will be honored at a ceremony in New York City where they will deliver five-word speeches in the tradition of past victors like Al Gore (“Please don’t recount this vote.”), Jimmy Fallon (“Thank God Conan got promoted”) and Anna Wintour (“Sometimes, Geeks Can Be Chic”). The show will be broadcast online on 22 May. Host and venue for the 17th Annual Webby Awards will be announced 16 April.

You can find the full list of 17th Annual Webby nominees on the site, but here are some highlights:

Best Mobile Media Streaming

• HBO GO
• Songza
• iPlayer Radio
• Hulu Plus
• Netflix App

Best Individual Performance

• Burning Love
• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
• Jean Dujardins’s Villain Auditions
• Charlize Theron Gets Hacked
• Lena Dunham for Obama for America “First Time”

Social: Best Education and Discovery

• TED
• National Geographic Education
• Nasa’s Curiosity Mars Rover
• Medium
• The New Public Library

Best Mobile User Experience

• KAYAK
• Cool Hunting Gift Guide
• NikeID Mobile
• Google Maps for iPhone
• Mailbox

Best Social Media Campaign

• One Small Tweet
• Hashtag Killer
• Obama for America – For All Campaign
• Nike Barbershop
• Justin Bieber’s “Girlfriend” Fragrance Launch

Best Weird Site

• Cecilia Prize
• One Tiny Hand
• TUMBLY
• Sandrific
• Sound Creatures X Pictoplasma

Best Comedy Longform or Series

• Burning Love
• Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
• Neil’s Puppet Dreams
• Clueless Gamer with Conan O’Brien
• Bad Lip Reading

Best Entertainment for Tablet

• The Onion
• Funny or Die
• Metropole Tweetphony
• GIRLS
• True Blood Social Media Makers Day

Best Web Personality/Host

• PBS Idea Channel
• Woman v. Workout
• 7 Minute in Heaven
• Chris Hardwick’s All Star Celebrity Bowling
• Fresh Off The Boat with Eddie

Best Humor Website

• Cracked.com
• CollegeHumor
• Funny or Die
• The Onion
• Tosh.O