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Setting the standard for excellence in the rapidly expanding world of mobile content, The Webby Awards today launched The Webby Mobile Awards presented by dotMobi, the first major awards honoring sites designed for mobile devices.

Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and now mobile sites.

Reflecting how mobile devices have become a part of everyday life, The Webby Mobile Awards will feature three categories: Listings & Updates, News & Entertainment, and Mobile Marketplace, which will honor sites selling products and services. Deadline for entries is December 15. Nominees will be announced in April and winners will be honored at The 11th Annual Webby Awards in June.

dotMobi is the first and only Internet address for mobile phones and was designed by leading companies from both the mobile and Internet industries. dotMobi is dedicated to improving the consumer experience of mobile Internet content by promoting standards and creating useful tools and templates for the creation of new content. Since its public launch in September, more than 275,000 .mobi domains have been registered.

"Some of the most exciting and innovative content being created today is for mobile devices," said David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. "We're proud to have such strong support from an industry group such as dotMobi in honoring the innovators who are setting the benchmarks for this emerging field."

"With the incredible growth of the mobile Internet over the past year and new .mobi sites going live every week, we knew it was time to recognize the developers and companies who are bringing content directly to millions of mobile users," said Neil Edwards, CEO of dotMobi. "We're excited to be the premier sponsor of the first Webby Mobile Awards, acknowledging the best examples of compelling and usable consumer content for the mobile Internet."

The 11th Annual Webby Awards is currently accepting entries in more than 100 categories, including 15 new categories honoring interactive advertising and The Webby Film & Video, the world's first awards honoring film and video that originally premiered online. Additionally, dotMobi is currently accepting proposals for four premium .mobi domains – "news.mobi", "ringtones.mobi", "sports.mobi" and "weather.mobi" – deadline for applications is December 18, 2006. To apply for these premium .mobi domains, visit http://pc.mtld.mobi/switched/premiumsales.html.

The launch of The Webby Mobile Awards comes on the heels of The Webby Awards' most successful awards season ever. Last year's Webby Awards received a record 5,500 entries in 70+ categories from over 40 countries, and was capped by a star-studded June gala showcasing an inspired and influential group of Internet luminaries including Prince, MySpace founder Chris DeWolfe, Arianna Huffington, and author Thomas Friedman.

To enter a site in The Webby Mobile Awards, visit www.webbyawards.com.

About dotMobi

Headquartered in Dublin, dotMobi - a wholly owned subsidiary of Afilias Limited - is a worldwide leader in enabling the development & discovery of quality mobile content through innovative services, in turn helping businesses and individuals reach the world's billions of mobile phone users. dotMobi spurs mobile industry innovation by giving content providers the tools they need to ensure the Web will work on mobile phones with speed, accuracy and relevant content. (Learn More)

Related topics: DNS, Registry Services, Mobile, Top-Level Domains, Web