Webby Awards choose surf site over ESPN and CBS.Sportsline

SAN FRANCISCO, JULY 18, 2001 -- Swell.com was named the Internet's best sports web site Wednesday at the annual Webby Awards, the so-called "Academy Awards of the Internet." In winning the Webby, Swell beat out such high-profile sports sites as ESPN.com and CBS.sportsline.com. The other two nominees in the sports category were Bowl.com and PlanetRugby.com.

The ceremony was held at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House and attended by an estimated 3,000 people. Now in their fifth year, the Webby Awards are the "leading international honor for achievement in technology and creativity." The 27 categories ranged from the serious (Politics, Commerce, Finance) to the artistic (Film, Fashion, Arts) to the goofy (Weird, Personal, Humor).

The event is organized and overseen by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, which states that the awards "strive to combine the rich diversity of perspectives and talent of the online community in order to recognize the finest work by the most skilled people in this dynamic field."

Sites are evaluated by the academy members based on six criteria: content, structure and navigation, visual design, functionality, interactivity, and overall experience.

Wednesday night's event was hosted on stage by actor Allan Cummings, while a live webcast was hosted by ABC News anchor Sam Donaldson.

Winners were required to limit their acceptance speeches to five words. Swell Executive Editor Steve Hawk, accepting on behalf of the site's hard-working staff, chose his five carefully: "Sam Donaldson, dude, gnarly toupee."

For more on the Webby Awards, visit the official web site at www.webbyawards.com.

About Surfline.com
Surfline is the Internet's definitive surf-related website, delivering rich content -- news, information and entertainment -- with extensive community applications and a host of live webcams from around the globe. Surfline brings together surfing's premier surf report and forecast talent, along with award-winning writers and photographers to produce a website of unparalleled quality aimed at the core of the sport, yet with appeal to the broader lifestyle audience.

www.surfline.com

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