SXSW Interactive Awards Announced

Out of hundreds, 20 emerge victorious

By Monica Riese, 8:30PM, Tue. Mar. 12, 2013

Presenting the 16th annual slate of honorees …

ACTIVISM
Green, governmental and non-profit projects that are striving to make the world a better place.
Winner: Wikipedia Zero

AMUSEMENT
Humor, memes, games, interesting projects and all the stuff that is weird for the sake of weird.
Winner: Contre Jour

ART
From traditional photography to non-traditional performances, this category focuses on interactive collections of life, society and culture.
Winner: Lost Art

BUSINESS
Devoted to the promotional needs, functions and services of for-profit businesses.
Winner: VIP Fridge Magnet

CLASSIC
While the SXSW Interactive Awards focus on the best new digital experiences, this category is devoted to projects that launched before Jan. 1, 2012.
Winner: BioDigital Human

COMMUNITY
Social networks and wikis that have quickly developed an extraordinarily active multi-user community and an exceptional following of users who assist with content development.
Winner: SoundCloud

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE
From elementary school learning to advanced technology-related tips, these are digital projects that help you learn.
Winner: ChronoZoom

EXPERIMENTAL
These are cutting-edge and trend-setting works that are pushing the envelope and challenging our perceptions of what’s possible.
Winner: Chrome Web Lab

FILM/TV
Projects related to actors, television, films and the film industry, as well as works that offer streaming video content.
Winner: The Beauty Inside

MOTION GRAPHICS
Animations, cartoons, and other intriguing works built using tools like Adobe Flash and HTML5.
Winner: Air Jordan 2012

MUSIC
Projects related to musicians, bands, and the music industry, as well online radio and other developments that offer streaming audio content.
Winner: JAM with Chrome

PERSONAL
The blogs, portfolios, pet projects and personal collections of individuals who are displaying their work and passions in the digital space.
Winner: Marco Rosella

SOCIAL MEDIA
Users and campaigns that are creatively connecting and sharing their experience.
Winner: NASA Mars Curiosity Rover

STUDENT
This category is devoted exclusively to the student designers who are refreshing this industry with new talent and new ideas.
Winner: Living Galapagos

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
These are the projects that are re-inventing and re-defining the technical parameters of our online experience.
Winner: Nike+ FuelBand

SPECIAL HONORS:

PEOPLE'S CHOICE
The online public's favorite finalist site from the competition. Voting begins when the finalists are revealed in late January.
Winner: Charity Miles

BREAKOUT DIGITAL TREND
The trend that gained the most traction during SXSW Interactive 2013.
Winner: Leap Motion

SPEAKER OF THE EVENT
The speaker from SXSW Interactive 2013 whose presentation makes the biggest impact on the digital community.
Winner: Cory Booker – "Cory Booker: The New Media Politician"

DIGITAL CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR
The best interactive campaign from the 2012 calendar year as voted by the judges.
Winner: Invisible Children: KONY 2012

BEST OF SHOW
The judges' favorite finalist website from the competition.
Winner: Contre Jour

Category descriptions courtesy of South by Southwest. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements from SXSW, and check out the Film Awards here.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle

MORE SXSW