Video sharing website YouTube, the eBay online auction community and rock icon David Bowie were among the winners of this year"s Webby Awards, the so-called "Oscars of the Internet." The winners of the almost 70 categories in the 11th annual awards, who are selected by the 550-member International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, are to be honoured at a ceremony in New York on June 5. "The Webby winners and special achievement honourees represent the very best in online creativity and innovation. We"re proud to salute the people and organizations whose ideas and vision are transforming how we experience the world," said Webby Awards executive director David-Michel Davies.
YouTube co-founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley were to receive the Webby person of the year award because YouTube had played a key role in "transforming the media landscape and reshaping everything from politics to pop culture," the Webby organizers said. Rock legend David Bowie was to pick up a lifetime achievement award for pushing the boundaries of art and technology with UltraStar, his digital media company that creates online content for The Rolling Stones and The Police. The more than 200 million users of online auction platform eBay were also to receive a lifetime award for "a cultural phenomenon" that had "permanently changed the way people connect, discover and interact with each other."