Nation’s premier online environmental magazine receives “People’s Voice Award”
Seattle, WA – Grist Magazine (www.grist.org) announced today that it has won a Webby Award for the Best Magazine website of 2005. Grist was selected for the Webby People’s Voice Award by more than 200,000 web users worldwide. In accepting the honor, Grist joins a prestigious list of past People’s Voice Award-winning magazines including National Geographic, The Onion, The Smoking Gun, Nerve.com, Slashdot, and Salon.
“Winning a Webby People’s Voice Award for best magazine is a tremendous honor for Grist, and a clear indicator of loyalty and commitment from our expanding reader base,” said Grist founder and editor Chip Giller. “Grist delivers environmental news, analysis and opinion spiked with a sense of humor and designed to motivate readers to take action on behalf of the environment.”
For more than six years, Grist has delivered such features as news reports, muckraking journalism, green advice, consumer tips, a blog, book reviews, profiles of activists, entertainers, and newsmakers—all at no cost to readers. In recent months, Grist was instrumental in focusing national attention on a controversial paper proclaiming the “Death of Environmentalism.”
“On top of our award-winning content, a number of recent design improvements have helped make the Grist site more readable and compelling than ever before,” Giller continued. “There’s no other site like Grist on the web, and we are thrilled to have been chosen for a Webby.”
Hailed as the “Oscars of the internet” by Time magazine, the Webby Awards were created in 1998 and have become the undisputed premier honor for websites. With over 4,300 sites entered from all 50 states and over 40 countries, Webby Winners truly represent the best of the web. Sites are selected for recognition based on excellence in the following criteria: content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity and overall experience.
The Webby Awards are managed by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a global organization with a membership that includes musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, and fashion designer Max Azria.
“The 9th Annual Webby Awards provide both a remarkable snapshot of digital life today and a powerful sneak preview of where we are going next,” said Tiffany Shlain, creative director and chairperson of The Webby Awards. “We’re proud to shine a spotlight on outstanding sites like Grist.”
“As the environmental movement ages, it is important that we find ways to engage and connect with younger audiences,” said Chip Giller. “With more than half of our readers under the age of 40, Grist is playing an important role in developing the next green generation.”
About Grist Magazine
The nonprofit, independent, online magazine Grist (www.grist.org) was founded in April 1999, and over the past six years has developed the most recognizable voice in environmental journalism: funny, opinionated, and intelligent. Grist offers in-depth reporting, opinions, cartoons, book reviews, advice, and more—all tailored to inform, entertain, provoke and encourage its readers to think creatively about environmental problems and solutions. In January 2004, Grist received Utne’s Independent Press Award for Online Political Coverage.
Each month Grist reaches half a million unique individuals through its email news summaries and website. Through syndication arrangements with other media outlets like MSNBC.com, Salon.com, and PBS.org, Grist is reaching an even broader audience that extends into the millions. Readers include environmental leaders, policy makers, journalists, educators, students, and other concerned citizens.
About The Webby Awards
Called the “Oscars of the Internet” by The New York Times, the Webby is the leading international award honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. Established in 1996, the 9th Annual Webby Awards received over 4,000 entries from all 50 states and over 40 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: The Creative Group; Adweek Magazines; Fortune and FSB; Ektron; 2Advanced Studios; The Online Publishing Association; MX Interactive; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Rackspace Managed Hosting. For more information, visit www.webbyawards.com. The Webby Awards and The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences are registered trademarks of International Data Group.
