Dr. Anthony Fauci, Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Riz Ahmed, Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson all won honors Tuesday at the Webby Awards, which recognize the best internet content and creators.

The Webby Person of the Year went to Fauci for using digital and social media to reach the masses with credible and factual COVID-19 information. DuVernay won the Film and Video Person of the Year trophy for her efforts creating a database to diversify Hollywood.

This year marks the 25th anniversary Webby Awards, selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. It was hosted by actor and activist Jameela Jamil, with appearances from Naomi Watts, Padma Lakshmi and Gayle King, among others.

“It’s a unique year for the internet. It’s that one thing that has kept us connected all year,” said Claire Graves, president of The Webby Awards. “Our winners are a testament to that, really. They’ve kept us connected in so many different ways. They’ve informed us — like Dr. Fauci — uplifted us and helped us spark global movements as well.” 

The awards started in 1996 by recognizing websites. It has grown to embrace new technologies, from apps and software to social media and games. This year, organizers added virtual and remote experiences.

Ahmed and Day won acting awards for “Sound of Metal” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” respectively. Johnson’s use of social media earned him a special achievement award, as did chef José Andrés, who was recognized for tackling food insecurity.

Other winners include Oprah’s Book Club, “Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical,” “NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition,” “We Are George Floyd” and the podcasts “Pod Save America,” “The Motherly Podcast” by Kristen Bell and “Jemele Hill is Unbothered.” 

Dua Lipa earned two video awards for “Hallucinate” and “Dua Lipa Has New Rules for COVID Dating.” Color of Change’s #JusticeForFloyd Campaign won the Webby Award for public service and activism. Neil deGrasse Tyson won a Webby for his science and education podcast. Chef Gordon Ramsay, the band BTS and actor Jennifer Garner were among Webby winners voted on by the public. 

This year also marks the inaugural special achievement award — the Webby Anthem Award — which was awarded to Pharrell Williams for his work towards racial equity in education and entrepreneurship. Another new award is the Webby Advocate of the Year, which went to “black-ish” and “grown-ish” star to Yara Shahidi for her social justice advocacy and her turn-out-the-vote efforts. 

The Webby Social Movement of the Year Winner was Stop AAPI Hate for using the Internet to effectively track and respond to incidents of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The academy also announced Comedy Central as the Webby Media Company of the Year after earning the most honors across all Webby categories and 14 wins overall.

“The way that people have used the Internet has accelerated so much this year that it will be interesting to see how people continue to use the new technology,” Graves said. “The internet is not stopping. It’s going to continue to grow and develop.”

Ad industry, tech winners
McCann Worldgroup was named Network of the Year by the 2021 Webby Awards, marking the second year in a row the network has received this recognition. In addition, McCann New York has been named Webby Agency of the Year.

Highlights from this year’s winning campaigns include:

• (Re)Introducing Jake by The Marketing Arm: The Webby People’s Voice Award for Brand Strategy (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Budweiser - Future Official Sponsor by VaynerMedia: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Influencer Endorsements (Advertising, Media & PR) and The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Digital Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Shoppable Girls by TAXI Toronto: The Webby Award for Best Cause Related Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Match Made in Hell by Match: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Video Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR) 
• Smaht Pahk by INNOCEAN USA: The Webby People’s Voice Award for Integrated Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• VAR Discount by NORD DDB Stockholm: The Webby Award for Media & Entertainment (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Virtual Sentosa by BBH Singapore: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Tourism & Leisure (Advertising, Media & PR)
• 9/11 Day at Home - Getting millions to virtually volunteer during a global pandemic by Wunderman Thompson: The Webby Award for Public Service & Activism (Advertising, Media & PR)
• #IStayHomeFor by McCann Worldgroup: The Webby People’s Voice Award for Public Service & Activism (Advertising, Media & PR), The Webby People’s Voice Award for Health, Wellness & Pharmaceutical (Advertising, Media & PR), The Webby People’s Voice Award for Real-Time Response Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR) and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Viral PR Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR)
• The 1619 Project by Droga5: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Branded Content (Advertising, Media & PR)
• CREATURE DISCOMFORTS: LIFE IN LOCKDOWN by ENGINE: The Webby Award for Social Video (Advertising, Media & PR) 
• Disappearing stories by Mozga Studio: The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Use of Social Media (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Good Humor: A New Jingle for a New Era by Edelman: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Use of Earned Media (Advertising, Media & PR) and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Original Music (Advertising, Media & PR)
• @apple—Dark Universe Experiments by TBWA\Media Arts Lab: The Webby Award for Best Editing (Social) and The Webby Award for Best Art Direction (Video)
• Build with the Force by Serviceplan Group SE & Co. KG: The Webby Award for Best Event Activation (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Patagonia Brewing - Comunal Gin by R/GA: The Webby Award for Best Launch (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Google Store by BASIC®: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Mobile Visual (Websites and Mobile Sites)
   

Highlights from this year’s winning branded content include:

• True Name by McCann Worldgroup: The Webby Award for Best Cause Related Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR), The Webby Award for Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign (Advertising, Media & PR) and The Webby Award for Brand Strategy (Advertising, Media & PR).
• Trojan Brand Condoms - Rising Time by 72andSunny: The Webby Award for Best Branded Editorial Experience (Advertising, Media & PR) and The Webby Award for Health, Wellness & Pharmaceutical (Advertising, Media & PR).
• #JIFvsGIF by GIPHY: The Webby Award for Food & Beverage (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Dezeen x Samsung Out of the Box Competition by Dezeen: The Webby People’s Voice Award for Products & Services – Branded (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Virtual Sentosa by BBH Singapore:  The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Tourism & Leisure – Branded (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Stories in Place by Vimeo: The Webby Award for Series – Branded (Film & Video)
• Dictators by Mischief @ No Fixed Address and Dini von Mueffling Communications for RepresentUs: The Webby Award for Technical Achievement (Video), The Webby Award for Viral Marketing (Advertising, Media & PR) and The Webby Award for Viral – Branded (Video)
• A Winning Mindset: Lessons From The Paralympics by International Paralympic Committee: The Webby Award for Best Branded Podcast or Segment (Podcasts)
   

Highlights from this year’s winning technical achievements across VR, AR, and machine learning categories include:

• Facetory: Face Yoga & Exercise by Gismart Ltd.: The Webby People’s Voice Award for for Experimental & Innovation (Apps and Software)
• RoboKiller by Teltech: The Webby Award for Machine Learning and Bots (Apps and Software)
• Night Sky by iCandi Apps Ltd.: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Use of Augmented Reality (Apps and Software), The Webby Award for Best User Interface (Apps and Software) and The Webby Award for Technical Achievement (Apps and Software)
• IKEA Harajuku with imma by Wieden+Kennedy Tokyo: The Webby Award for Augmented Reality (Advertising, Media & PR)
• Space Explorers: The ISS Experience, Episode 1 by Felix & Paul Studios: The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best VR Video (Virtual & Remote) and The Webby Award for Science & Education (Virtual & Remote)
• The Book of Distance by National Film Board of Canada: The Webby Award for Best Narrative Experience (Virtual & Remote)
• Lovecraft Country - Sanctum by The Mill: The Webby Award for Best VR Video (Virtual & Remote)
• Covid Tracker by Reuters: The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Technical Achievement (Websites) 
• Apple Arcade Homepage Takeover by Apple:  The Webby Award and The Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Homepage (Websites and Mobile Sites)