I found this website called the “Interactive Media Awards”… here’s what they profess to do:

The Interactive Media Awards™ recognize the highest standards of excellence in website design and development and honor individuals and organizations for their outstanding achievement.

Apparently you submit your website, along with a $125 entrance fee, to get your site judged by a bunch of corporate execs (not designers). If your site is deemed a winner, whatever that means, you get to put a little button on your website saying that you won and have access to tools that supposedly help you boost your marketability.

After looking at some of these so called winners, I am severely underimpressed. A large portion of the sites I sampled were in full Flash, which made them difficult to navigate and impossible to access for handicapped users. The judging criteria says they care about standards, but most of the sites I checked are not compliant to any web standard that exists, XHTML or otherwise. This just seems like one big scam to get a little money out of all the suckers who submit their sites to be reviewed.

Which really depresses me. I really wouldn’t have liked the term “interactive media” to equal “website development” … it’s a new field, so that’s just what people equate it to when they don’t have time to figure out what it actually means. But arrrrrgggh.

On another note, Alex found Web Standards Awards, which looks far more legitimate than the aforementioned site that I won’t even link cause I don’t want to give them any more blog cred (har har) than necessary.