Webby Awards: does this award count for the talent visa?

From the organisation's official site

What the organisation itself states on its site webbyawards.com. Paraphrased, checked Oct 2, 2026.

Organiser

The award is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), according to the site a judging body of 3,000+ members.

Founded

The award was established in 1996; the 31st annual call for entries is now open.

Frequency

Annual; winners are honoured at a live event in May.

Who can enter

Open to organisations and individuals who design, build, manage or market digital work, from any country; there is no limit on entries or categories.

Entry fee

Categories marked # cost $255 to enter, student categories $105.

How winners are chosen

Round 1: IADAS Associate members, several per entry; shortlists go to Executive members who vote on nominees and winners. Official Honoree goes to no more than 20% of entries.

Categories

9 media types (websites, video, advertising, apps, social, podcasts, games, creators, AI); each category has 5 nominees, 1 jury Webby Award and 1 People's Voice by public vote.

What the winner receives

Winners receive the Webby statuette and a badge; Nominees and Official Honorees receive a framed certificate and a badge; extra statuettes can be bought.

• Associate Academy members are former Webby winners, nominees and other experts; joining the Associate Academy requires an application and verification.
• According to the site, the 29th Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from over 70 countries.
• Fees are non-refundable except for withdrawal by the published deadline, which still keeps a $155 processing fee ($55 for student entries).

Source: the organisation's site webbyawards.com (pages /about, /faq, /eligibility-and-guidelines, /about/categories, /judging-process, /about/judges), checked Oct 2, 2026; the version on the site applies.

Facts from open sources

Founded

1995 [Wikidata P571]

Country

United States [Wikidata P17]

Organiser

International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences [Wikidata P1027]

The Webby Awards are awards for excellence on the Internet presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a judging body composed of over three thousand industry experts and technology innovators. Categories include websites, advertising and media, online film and video, mobile sites and apps, and social.

Collected automatically from the sources shown, checked 2026-09-10; not a USCIS assessment.