9th Annual Webby Awards: BookCrossing.com Named Best Community Website and Best Social/Networking Website in the People's Voice Awards

BookCrossing.com Receives Top International Honor for Websites

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, USA - MAY 3, 2005 - The Webby Awards, the leading international honor for websites, today announced that BookCrossing.com won The People's Voice Award for both the Best Community and the Best Social/Networking websites.

The Ninth Annual Webby Awards received a record number of entries from over 40 countries and all 50 states. This year, more then 200,000 fans cast their ballots to decide their own personal favorites from among the nominees in each category. A Webby People's Voice Award is a tremendous honor, indicating the highest level of loyalty and commitment from a site's visitor base.

Winners of the People's Voice Awards will be honored at The 9th Annual Webby Awards, which will be held for the first time ever in New York City on June 6 at the legendary Gotham Hall. Hosted by comedian Rob Corddry of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the ceremony will showcase the first-ever Webby Special Achievement Awards.

In recognition of the pivotal role he has played in the development of the Internet over the past three decades, The Webby Awards will present former Vice President Al Gore with The Webby Lifetime Achievement Award. The award will be presented by Vint Cerf, widely credited as a founder of the Internet.

Other Presenters and Honorees include: Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist; the Kleptones, online music innovators; and the Spiridellis brothers, JibJab founders and digital filmmaking pioneers.

More than 400 luminaries from the fields of media, advertising, business, technology, entertainment, politics and the arts will be in attendance at the event.

Hailed as the "online Oscars" by Time Magazine, The Webby Awards are determined by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a global organization with a membership that includes musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening, Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser, and fashion designer Max Azria.

"The 9th Annual People's Voice Awards winners provide both a remarkable snapshot of digital life today and a powerful sneak preview of where we are going next," said Tiffany Shlain, creative director and chairperson of The Webby Awards. "We're proud to shine a spotlight on outstanding sites like BookCrossing.com."

"The passion of the BookCrossing community never ceases to amaze me," said Ron Hornbaker, founder of BookCrossing.com. "These two awards simply reflect the dedication and generosity of our 350,000 members pushing this movement forward from all corners of the world."

About The Webby Awards

Called the "Oscars of the Internet" by The New York Times, the Webby is the leading international award honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. Established in 1996, the 9th Annual Webby Awards received over 4,000 entries from all 50 states and over 40 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: The Creative Group; Adweek Magazines; Fortune and FSB; Ektron; 2Advanced Studios; The Online Publishing Association; MX Interactive; IDG; PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Rackspace Managed Hosting. For more information, visit www.webbyawards.com.

About the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS)

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and interactive media. The Academy is an intellectually diverse organization that includes over 500 members consisting of leading experts in a diverse range of fields, such as musician David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, business guru and author Tom Peters, The Body Shop president Anita Roddick, fashion designer Max Azria, "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser. For more information, visit www.iadas.net.

The Webby Awards and The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences are registered trademarks of International Data Group.