The Annual Webby Awards is the internet’s biggest night and The 23rd Webbys was no different. This year’s show was held at Cipriani and shined a powerful spotlight on the biggest online achievements and moments. Hosted by Jenny Slate and featuring appearances and signature 5-Word acceptance speeches from winners such as Issa Rae, Michael Douglas, Greta Thunberg, Desus & Mero, Hasan Manhaj, Tierra Whack, and more. 

2019 was a difficult year for the internet. Disinformation, phone addiction, bots, security breaches, cyber hacks, and so much more dominated headlines and our personal experiences. We once thought that being online would free all information, break down physical boundaries, and help unite us all. But over the past few years, we’ve moved in the opposite direction. The theme of the 23rd Webby Awards acknowledged these concerns. Using kinetic typography to tell a story of a typical online experience, with all of it’s ups and downs. The narrative culminates with a message of optimism and hightlghts the positive attributes. There’s the internet we have, which is trending in the wrong direction. And then there’s “The Internet We Want”, which is exemplified by the winners at the show.

We were humbled to present the Webby for Person of the Year to Greta Thunberg for igniting a global movement for climate justice led by youth activists, and for using the internet to draw the world’s attention to the urgent issue of climate change. Knowing that we couldn’t match the impact of Greta herself, we used her own words and voice to drive the narrative and compliment the script. Narration by Golden Globe-nominated actress Rebecca Hall.

4 Billion Social Media Impressions

#Webbys trended nationally

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The Webby Awards is a social media powerhouse that generates authentic attention by harnessing the vast social networks of the biggest influencers and companies in the world. Year after year, major influencers and companies take to social to promote and celebrate The Webby Awards.

The Webby Media Lounge is where the biggest celebrities and influencers from entertainment, music, art, and technology conduct interviews with major media outlets and engage in social media activities. This year the Media Lounge was presented by Instagram. The execution included a photo portrait studio, and a Stories Booth that gave winners a custom video to share with their followers. We also provided all winners with a social-optimized video of their 5-Word acceptance speech immediately after their on-stage moment. All of these elements were available to every winner at the show to showcase their entire winning experience.

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3.5M+ Votes Cast

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Sponsored by HBO

The Webby People’s Voice generates social media like few other platforms. As part of The Webby People’s Voice experience, Webby Nominees rally their fans to vote for them so they can win a coveted Webby Award From Social Media Influencers like Kesha and Ryan Reynolds to entertainment powerhouses like Marvel and Star Wars to brands like Clinique, Budweiser and WeWork to major Media Companies like VICE, the Verge and The Hollywood Reporter. The Webby People’s Voice gains a huge amount of media attention.