If you run a web design agency, then winning an award for your craft is a great way to encourage clients and hopefully reach a wider audience. And while there are no guarantees, knowing what the major web design awards are and how they operate can give you a better chance of success. To that end, we have helpfully collated some of the best web design awards on the web – as well as some tips to help give you a chance of being nominated.

Web Design Awards Websites :

Awwwards.com

Awwwards.com showcases some of the best content on the internet – which goes beyond just web design awards. Right now for instance, the site is showcasing an interactive short film! Getting involved is easy too thanks to a large ‘Submit Your Site’ option in the top right of the site. An award will give you access to over 2,000,000 unique users but unfortunately you do have to pay to enter.

CSS Design Awards

This is another great award scheme that is easy to enter (the option is right in the menu) but again will set you back an entry fee. You have a good chance of being featured here though thanks to the ‘Website of the Day’ prize, which gets around a lot of sites. There’s also a ‘Website of the Month’ and ‘Website of the Year’ up for grabs.

The Best Designs

This is a site that showcases some of the best designs on the web. It’s a great place to get inspiration as a designer as you can simply scroll through what’s on offer and this one is free to enter as well! There are separate forms for designers and agencies, so it caters nicely to industry professionals.

Webby Awards

The Webby Awards is an exciting website/award that actually has its own ceremony like the Oscars! If you’d like the chance to experience a little glitz and glamor, then this is one to look into. Unfortunately, entries are currently closed for the next annual awards…

CSS Winner

Another site that makes it nice and easy to browse through previous winners and another one that’s perfect for finding inspiration. It costs to enter again but is significantly less expensive than the bigger awards in this list and rejected submissions will be refunded.

The FWA

The FWA has some exciting awards and setups. It has a ‘site of the day’ as well as the ‘Cutting Edge Award’. The slider on the front page features some very cool animations and you can also go here to find job listings! Entry is cheaper than some other award sites and will gain you instant exposure to a very big audience. An interesting one to check out!

Web Design Awards – Tips for Winning

Looking at these award sites, it’s clear that a little originality can stand you in good stead and give you a better chance of being features. Of course you need a design that meets all modern requirements (minimalist, responsive, HD) but it also needs that something extra to stand out. But it’s a game of numbers really – the more you enter, the better chance you have of winning! Some more to try out include:

• TheNetAwards.com
• DesignLicks.com
• WebsiteOfTheYear.com

Note that some of these are decided by public vote, which might significantly change the game.
May the best site win!