Michele, you mentioned that maybe it is time for the industry to set up it's own awards. Although it has been done, and "failed" before I think it is important to outline WHY they failed and what the industry can do now to make it succeed.

While we can clearly see what to GoldenSpiders are doing wrong, what are they doing right? Where would an industry led awards start?

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Good idea

They're very good at selling the idea

I think a manifesto made up of what we, as active members of the industry, feel that awards should take into account.

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I was just wondering has anyone contacted the GoldenSpiders to ask why they chose websites that fail current accepted standards. And why the chose websites without checking them first place.

It would be very interesting to hear their answer when you ask them straight out.

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I spent 45 minutes on the phone to one of them last year discussing their nomination process. While the current discussions have focussed on the standards (or lack thereof) I personally do not approve of the "pay to enter" model they have adopted.
If you do the math it gets quite scary:

In 2006 it is estimated that up to 1,000 companies will enter this prestigious Awards Ceremony. Source

Working on the basis that the bulk of entries are paid ie. not in the only free category that I can see, then you are looking at anything between 800 and 900 entries @ EUR100 a pop

900 x 100 = 90,000 euro

Most of the categories are sponsored, with 18 prizes in all, which is fewer than last year when there were 25.

I'm not sure what they're charging this year, but other years you were looking at about 7 thousand upwards. If you average it out at about 10k, then you're looking at close to 250k in sponsorship without even mentioning the headline sponsor.

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I emailed them last week about this matter but i never got a response

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Which email did you try?

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Until we see the entries, it's hard to properly comment on the short-lists, IMO...

And how are we meant to get that info?

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And isn't the short-list meant to be the cream of the crop of entries? I think we can base a LOT on the short-list.

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Ask them for it? Easy to do, entrants will hardly object, and makes the whole thing much more transparent... So who compliles the short-lists?