The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) is an organization that was founded in 1998 in New York City to recognize and acknowledge excellence in interactive content across emerging technologies. According to the organization, the academy was founded to help drive the creative, technical, and professional progress of the Internet and evolving forms of interactive and new media.
History
The academy selects the nominees and winners for the Webby Awards and the Lovie Awards, which have been described as the leading honors for websites and individual achievement in technology and creativity. The Webby Awards have been described as the "Oscars of the Internet" in the media, and popular television series such as the Masterpiece has won the Webby Awards in 2017. In 2021, the academy also introduced the Anthem Awards to honor the purpose and mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide.
According to the IADAS website, their purpose is:
- To recognize and acknowledge excellence in interactive content across emerging technologies
- To connect a diverse group of luminaries to facilitate growth and development in the digital arts and sciences
Members
Membership in the academy is by invitation only. IADAS describes its members as "Leading industry experts, evangelists, and visionaries working to advance the electronic medium" and divides its members into four types - Associate, Executive, Europe, and Anthem.
Executive members include Richard Branson, Vint Cerf, Arianna Huffington, Julia Child, Luvvie Ajayi, among many others.
Associate members include Sara Ackerman, Matthew Ball, Brian Edelman, Andrew Jackson, James Naleski, Mirko Pallera, Alok Shankar, among many others.
Webby Awards
Established in 1996 during the Web's infancy, The Webbys is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS)—a 2000+ member judging body. In 2006, The Webby Awards was described as the "Internet's Highest Honor" by the New York Times following the 10th annual Webby Awards that was hosted in the heart of New York's Financial District. This popular occasion had attendance from the executive director of UNICEF - Ann Veneman, Pop legend Prince among others.
Lovie Awards
In 2010, The Webby Awards launched its European sister award program, The Lovie Awards. The Lovie Awards recognizes the unique and resonant nature of the European Internet community – from Europe's top web and creative networks and content publishers to cultural and political organizations and individual creators. The Lovie Awards is the European counterpart to the Webby's, which honor contributions and contributors to the internet and digital media. The jury accepts work in many languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian and German
The Lovie award winners get press coverage from leading media such as the Huffington Post, BBC, The Sunday Times among many others. The 2022 winner list included social media fame Khaby Lame and Jaap Haartsen among others.
Anthem Awards
In 2021, The Webby Awards launched the brand new Anthem Awards to celebrate purpose & mission-driven work from people, companies and organizations worldwide, across seven core purposes: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Education, Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate.