SXSW Interactive Announces Winners of the 2012 Interactive Awards
Comedian Emcees Jenny Slate and Gabe Liedman present awards for the 15th annual award ceremony; Jeffrey Zeldman honored as First ever inductee to SXSW Interactive Festival Hall of Fame
Sponsored by HP, the 15th annual South by Southwest Interactive Awards ceremony honored 20 of the globe’s top Web developers and designers chosen from hundreds of entries submitted. The Interactive Awards highlight the best new digital work, from mobile and tablet apps to websites to kiosks and installations and beyond, while celebrating those who are building tomorrow’s online trends.
Local Austin band The Lennings kicked off last night’s event with a performance during the SXSW Interactive Awards Ceremony Pre-Party. Comedy duo, Jenny Slate and Gabe Liedman, who have the “Bestie x Bestie” web series on Vimeo, served as co-emcees for the SXSW Interactive Awards ceremony, which named winners across 15 categories and five special honors, including “Activism,” “Social Media”, “People’s Choice” and “Breakout Digital Trend.” Gabe Liedman has also been featured on “This American Life” and in videos by The Onion. Jenny Slate is best known as the co-creator of the “Marcel The Shell with Shoes On” films and books, and is a Saturday Night Live alumnus.
“We were yet again blown away by the innovation and creativity that this year’s submissions embodied,” said Andrew McNeill, SXSW Interactive Awards Coordinator. “This year’s winners reflect the very nature of SXSW in celebrating forward-thinking technologies and developments that will impact our digital future.”
Additionally, during the SXSW Interactive Awards Ceremony, Web design pioneer Jeffrey Zeldman was presented as the first ever inductee to the SXSW Interactive Festival Hall of Fame.
SXSW Interactive is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Interactive Awards:
2012 INTERACTIVE AWARD WINNERS
ACTIVISM
Green, governmental and non-profit projects that are striving to make the world a better place. The Activism category is presented by Convio.
Winner: Made in a Free World – Slavery Footprint
AMUSEMENT
Humor, memes, games, interesting projects and all the stuff that is weird for the sake of weird.
Winner: LEGO Life of George
ART
From traditional photography to non-traditional performances, this category focuses on interactive collections of life, society and culture.
Winner: Bla Bla
BUSINESS
Devoted to the promotional needs, functions and services of for-profit businesses.
Winner: Screw*D
CLASSIC
While the SXSW Interactive Awards focus on the best new digital experiences, this category is devoted to projects that launched before January 1, 2011. The Classic category is presented by Hoefler & Frere-Jones.
Winner: Expedition Titanic
COMMUNITY
Social networks and wikis that have quickly developed an extraordinarily active multi-user community and an exceptional following of users who assist with content development.
Winner: Big Stories, Small Towns
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
From elementary school learning to advanced technology-related tips, these are digital projects that help you learn.
Winner: Projeqt
EXPERIMENTAL
These are cutting-edge and trend-setting works that are pushing the envelope and challenging our perceptions of what’s possible.
Winner: Take This Lollipop
FILM/TV
Projects related to actors, television, films and the film industry, as well as works that offer streaming video content.
Winner: Goa Hippy Tribe
MOTION GRAPHICS
Animations, cartoons, and other intriguing works built using tools like Adobe Flash and HTML5.
Winner: Lights
MUSIC
Projects related to musicians, bands, and the music industry, as well online radio and other developments that offer streaming audio content.
Winner: Obsessed With Sound
PERSONAL
The blogs, portfolios, pet projects and personal collections of individuals who are displaying their work and passions in the digital space.
Winner: ChairTrips
SOCIAL MEDIA
Users and campaigns that are creatively connecting and sharing their experience.
Winner: Storify
STUDENT
This category is devoted exclusively to the student designers who are refreshing this industry with new talent and new ideas.
Winner: Coal: A Love Story
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
These are the projects that are re-inventing and re-defining the technical parameters of our online experience.
Winner: Eye-fi iPad App
SPECIAL HONORS:
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
The online public’s favorite finalist site from the competition. Voting begins when the finalists are revealed in late January.
Winner: Americans Elect
BREAKOUT DIGITAL TREND
The trend that gained the most traction during SXSW Interactive 2012.
Winner: Pinterest
SPEAKER OF THE EVENT
The speaker from SXSW Interactive 2012 whose presentation makes the biggest impact on the digital community.
Winner: Stephen Wolfram
DIGITAL CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
The best interactive campaign from the 2011 calendar year as voted by our judges.
Winner: TESCO Home plus
BEST OF SHOW
The judges’ favorite finalist website from the competition.
Winner: Take This Lollipop
About SXSW Interactive Festival
The 19th annual SXSW Interactive festival will take place March 9-13, 2012 in Austin, Texas. An incubator of cutting-edge technologies, the event features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology. Join us March 2012 for the panels, the parties, the 15th Annual Interactive Awards, Startup Village, ScreenBurn at SXSW, the SXSW Trade Show and, of course, the inspirational experience that only SXSW can deliver. SXSW Interactive 2012 is sponsored by Miller Lite, Chevrolet, IFC, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Monster Energy, Samsung, Freecreditscore.com, Microsoft, Isis, Esurance, AT&T and The Austin Chronicle.
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