Award-Winning web design is a term used by many web design agencies to describe their work. What’s not always clear is whether these awards are earned, or purchased in the form of steep submission fees.
If you’re looking to hire a website designer, you’ll probably come across mentions of award winning web design or prestigious awards on many of their websites. One would assume that winning an award would involve peer review by an independent panel of judges and some sort of transparent voting process.
In some cases, that’s absolutely true, but in reality, a large number of web and graphic design awards are meaningless vanity awards. Vanity awards are sometimes called “industry or marketing awards” and are “awarded” to virtually everyone who pays to participate in the award process. Many companies even go as far as to offer bulk discounts for multiple “award” submissions.
Do Your Own Research and Judge the Merit of the Award Winning Web Work
Savvy consumers have long understood the difference between hazy marketing speak and the truth when it comes to product marketing. The same logic applies to judging the merit of an individual marketing award. Just because it has a snazzy sounding name or includes a cool handmade trophy, doesn’t mean it’s a legitimate award.
Take, for example, the Webby Awards. It has many of the same qualities as less legitimate awards such as an entry fee to be eligible and a pretty snazzy statue. Despite these potential red flags, the Webby Awards receives thousands of submissions each year and less than 20% of all entries are designated as official honorees. It is also considered highly prestigious and is well-respected in the creative and digital communities and recognized by publications like the New York Times.
A good starting point for researching the validity of a specific web or graphic design award is to Google the name of the award yourself. Look into how the submission fee works and what the award process entails—these are great places to start.
Consider Other Factors Besides “Award Winning” Labels
We get it, awards can be nice for brands and consumers alike. They can help reinforce value in a brand and instill confidence in consumers. But awards are one small piece of the puzzle when it comes to judging the merit of a web design company, or frankly any company for that matter.
While there is no magic formula for choosing the right web design company, consider other factors such as Google Reviews, their portfolio of recent web work, and references from current and past clients.
