Website awards in particular, can bring online traffic to your website. Here are some other arguments to participate in them.

Winning website awards can a great morale (and internal credibility) builder for the team involved. They not only offer an internet marketing opportunity, but also provide a benchmark and valuable feedback for your website development efforts. They can also help generate publicity and incoming links as winners are announced to the media and listed on awards websites.

Now let’s say you’ve spent months on developing a new website for your B2B company and would like to submit your work to some website awards. What are some of the more credible awards programmes out there in the worldwide web?  Which ones are appropriate for professional services firms (PSF)?

Here’s a good list to start with.

The Webby Awards

The Webby Awards is probably one of the longest established awards for the internet. Presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which includes an executive 750-member body of leading web experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities, and associate members who are former Webby Award winners and nominees and other internet professionals. It seems the 13th Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states in the US and generated over 750 million media impressions worldwide.

The awards covers 100 Website, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Web categories.

The Webby Awards presents two honors in every category; The Webby Award and The People’s Voice Award, in each of its four entry types: Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video and Mobile Web. Members of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences select the nominees for both awards in each category, as well as the winners of the Webby Awards. The online community determines the winners of The People’s Voice by voting for the nominated work.

The WebAwards

The WebAwards claims to be a premier annual website award competition that names the best Web sites in 96 industries while setting the standard of excellence for all website development.

It is organised by the Web Marketing Association, which was founded in 1997 and staffed by volunteers. The organisation is made up of Internet marketing, online advertising, PR, and top web site design professionals who share an interest in improving the quality of online advertising, internet marketing and website promotion.

The WebAward Competition is open to all organizations and individuals involved in the process of developing web sites for organizations, companies and the government.  Sites that have won awards in past WebAward Competitions are also eligible for the current competition.

The W³ Awards

The W³ Awards claims to be the first major web competition to be accessible to the biggest agencies, the smallest firms and everyone in between.

The award honors creative excellence on the web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award winning sites, videos and marketing programs.

The W³ is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, interactive, advertising, and marketing firms. IAVA members include executives from organizations such as Conde Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, Yahoo! and many others.

The Stevie Awards

The Stevie Awards were “created to honor and generate public recognition of the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and business people worldwide”. It began with The American Business Awards in 2002, followed by The International Business Awards in 2003, The Stevie Awards for Women in Business in 2004 and the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service in 2006.

The American Business Awards has award categories that recognize excellence in all forms of media including advertising, film and video productions, web sites, blogs, interactive multimedia, corporate literature, and live events.

In the Web Site or Blog category, web sites and blogs are eligible to be submitted in 33 industry-specific categories and there is no eligibility time frame requirement. There is also a Web Site or Blog – Craft & Function Awards Categories, which covers Best Web Animation, Best Interface Design, Best Software Programming/Design, Best Writing/Content, Best E-commerce Site, Best Home Page, Best Investor Relations Site, Best Overall Web Design, Best Online Press Room, Best Training Site and Best Video Site.

Interactive Media Awards

The Interactive Media Awards™ say that they aim to recognise the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement.

Created by the Interactive Media Council, Inc. (IMC), a nonprofit organization of leading web designers, developers, programmers, advertisers and other web-related professionals, the competition is designed to elevate the standards of excellence on the Internet and offer winners a boost in marketing and exposure.

IMC serves as the primary sponsor and governing body of the Interactive Media Awards, establishes the judging system and provides the judges for the competition.

The iNova Awards

The iNova Awards – Website is part of a series of six award programs across different disciplines, which are organised by MerComm, Inc. The organisation aims to advance the arts and sciences of communications in an international arena, and promote high standards of individual and collective achievement.

The good thing about these awards is that they do not accept any advertising, membership fees, or outside sponsors.

The judging panels are made up of internet professionals from around the world.

New Media Awards

In this competition, the winners of the New Media Awards are not selected based solely on design, but how well they use technology to serve and communicate to their audience. The size of an organization or web site is not a consideration in judging.

It was founded by the New Media Institute (NMI), a research and fact finding organization whose mission is to improve public understanding of issues surrounding the Internet and other forms new media communications.

NMI was formed as result of a research project in Columbia University’s Masters Degree Program in Strategic Communications. NMI works directly with the news media, researchers, academics, government and industry professionals and serves as a primary resource of facts, statistics and analysis.