Webby Award Winners, 2023

“…the bigger the price the harder it takes to win it…” 

– Manuel Corazzari

The Webby Awards, also known as the Oscars of the Internet, is celebrated as the Internet’s highest honor. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences presents this coveted prize to those who prove their excellence on the Internet. In 2023, the IADAS members comprised of Questlove, Tan France, Natalie Guzman, Werner Vogels, Roxanne Gay, Quinta Brunson, Ziwe Fumudoh, Reshma Saujani, LeVar Burton, Takashi Murakami, Samantha Bee, and Tracy Chou.

The Webby Awards began its journey in 1996. In 1997, filmmaker Tiffany Slain joined Maya Draisin Farrah and rebranded it as the Webby Awards. The awards are presented in over one hundred categories. Two awards are handed out in each category. While one is chosen by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the other is a People’s Voice Award chosen by the votes of the general public.

The year 2023 saw a great many individuals and companies receiving the prestigious Webby Awards. From Barrack Obama, Blackpink, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Hugh Jackman, Trixie Mattel, Christina Aguilera, Patrick Mahomes, Jimmy Kimmel, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Trevor Nova to the cast of Netflix’s Stranger Things, and Marvel’s Wakanda Forever, The Webby Award was awarded to a number of renowned personalities.

The Webby Special Achievement Award was presented to honor the work of those individuals or groups of individuals who dedicated a major portion of their lives to the pursuit of excellence. Let us get to know these eminent personalities a tad better.

Name: Shigetaka Kurita

Award: Webby Lifetime Achievement Award

Today, life may seem almost impossible for us without emojis Have you ever wondered who created these ubiquitous images? Well, the creator of emojis is no other than the ingenious Shigetaka Kurita. In 1999, Kurita came up with the first set of rudimentary emojis. At the time, they were just basic symbols. Twenty-four years later, they have emerged to be unique digital forms of communication that are continuously used to break the barriers of language, cultures, and borders. With 2,600 fun and interactive emojis in use today, the internet has become a more welcoming and vibrant space for people of all nationalities, ethnicities, orientations, and abilities. Shigetaka Kurita truly deserves the 2023 Webby Lifetime Achievement Award for creating something as invaluable as the emojis.

Name: SZA

Award: Webby Artist of the Year Award

Solana Imani Rowe, popularly known by her stage name SZA, is a supremely talented American singer and songwriter. She received the Webby Artist of the Year Award for her bestselling second album, SOS. Released in 2022, SOS made a place atop the Billboard 200 for ten non-consecutive weeks. It also broke records for the largest streaming week for an R&B album in the US. SOS was also the inspiration for a plethora of trends and remixes. SZA is famous for using the internet in ingenious ways to share her music that is not only poignant but also multi-dimensional. It is no doubt that SZA is the rightful winner of the Webby Artist of the Year Award in 2023.

Name: Sharon Horgan 

Award: Webby Best Actress Award

The British-born Irish actress, writer, director, producer, and comedian, Sharon Lorencia Horgan, is the Webby Best Actress of 2023. Her brilliant performance in Apple TV+’s Bad Sisters and her inimitable comedic style throughout the years made her the recipient of this coveted award. Bad Sisters is a ten-episode series that is adapted from a Belgian show. It follows the four Garvey sisters as they set out to kill a man. Horgan plays the role of Eva, the eldest sister. She infuses the series with witty dialogues, beautiful cinematography, and of course, her signature dark humor.

Name: SmartLess 

Award: Webby Breakout Podcast of the Year Award

First launched in 2020, SmartLess has emerged as a pop culture phenomenon around the world. Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett are the hosts of this incredible podcast. Each episode of this weekly show starts off with one of the hosts introducing a mystery host to the other two hosts. The podcast showcases the genuine friendship and witty banter among the three hosts. Their easy-going conversation easily disarms their guests, making the episodes fun for the audience. This leads to a number of wow moments that make the listeners feel closer to their favorite celebrities like Bono, Charlize Theron, Jordan Pee, and President Joe Bien, among others. SmartLess is one of those rare shows that connects listeners around the world. It is no wonder that it is the winner of the Webby Breakout Podcast of the Year Award in 2023.

Name: Tracee Ellis Ross 

Award: Webby Special Achievement Award

Tracee Ellis Ross is a renowned actress, producer, and CEO. She believes in self-acceptance and lives her life on her own terms. Ross came up with the hair care brand, Pattern, which is aimed at people with textured hair. She used the internet as the driving force behind Pattern’s success. Tracee Ellis Ross is also the executive producer and cowriter of I Am America, a podcast that promotes inclusivity. Through this podcast, people share their stories of making their own identities within complex social systems. Tracee Ellis Ross has been awarded the Webby Special Achievement Award in 2023 for using the internet as a medium to share multidimensional stories of belonging, increasing Black representation in the beauty industry, and being a positive presence on the internet.

Name: Tobe Nwigwe

Award: Webby Special Achievement Award

Tobechukwu Dubem “Tobe” Nwigwe is a multi-talented American rapper, singer, and actor. His performance as Nick in the Netflix series, Mo, is noteworthy. Tobe came out with the impressive moMINTS. It is an innovative album that includes 11 music videos that were released within four months of each other. Tobe Nwigwe has a robust digital presence and is known for his use of the internet in innovative and imaginative ways. He is also pretty active on social media. He deservedly received the Webby Special Achievement Award in 2023.

Conclusion

The Webby Awards have evolved right along with the evolution of the internet. Today, it honors excellence in 9 major media types. They are Websites and Mobile Sites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps & Software, Social, Podcasts, Games and Metaverse, and Virtual & AI. The USP of the Webby Awards is that the winners are expected to present their acceptance speech in five words. This makes the awards all the more special.

Do comment and let me know your thoughts about the Webby Awards winners of 2023.