.ORG, The Public Interest Registry Honors 12th Annual .ORG Webby Winners

May 13, 2008; 05:45 AM

RESTON, VA--(Marketwire - May 13, 2008) - .ORG, The Public Interest Registry is excited to honor the .ORG winners of the 12th Annual Webby Awards. As the Official Sponsor of the Webby Awards, .ORG, The Public Interest Registry will help showcase the winners at a star-studded awards ceremony in June. Since its inception, The Webby Awards have seen a significant rise in the amount of .ORG nominees and winners from only 1-3 winners when the awards program began in 1997 to over 12 winners across multiple categories in 2008.

"These sites leverage the Internet to track issues, inform, inspire and advocate for changes that would otherwise not be possible," says Alexa Raad, CEO of Public Interest Registry. "It is wonderful to see these members of the .ORG community receive the recognition and attention they deserve. They are the conscience of the Internet."

The votes were cast by the International Academy of Digital Arts, a global organization with over 550 members including musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Internet inventor and Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vinton Cerf, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, and fashion designer Max Azria. In addition, nearly half a million votes were cast by people around the world for their favorite winners in The Webby People's Voice Awards which had a kick-off celebration hosted by .ORG in London.

"The .ORG nominees and winners are highlighting the rising trends on the Internet towards social consciousness, networking, advocacy and activism," says David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. "Therefore, the involvement of .ORG, The Public Interest Registry as an Official Sponsor is a natural fit."

View The Webby Awards microsite at www.thewebbys.org to see past and present winners of this prestigious award.

About .ORG, The Public Interest Registry

Trusted across all ages, backgrounds and nationalities, .ORG is where people turn to find credible information, get involved, fund causes and support advocacy. .ORG, The Public Interest Registry empowers the global noncommercial community to use the Internet more effectively and, concurrently, takes a leadership position among Internet stakeholders on policy and related issues. The .ORG domain is the Internet's third largest "generic" or non-country specific top-level domain with more than 6 million domain names registered worldwide. .ORG, The Public Interest Registry, was founded by the Internet Society in 2002. It is based in Reston, Virginia, USA.

About The Webby Awards:

The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the internet, including Web sites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 11th Annual Webby Awards received a record 8,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

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