Start Wins a Webby – and Australian Web Awards!

There are awards you quietly hope for, and there are awards that make you sit up a little straighter. The Webby Awards fall firmly into the second camp. Often described as the Grammys of the internet, they’ve been celebrating the very best of the web since the 1990s. Past winners include David Bowie, Prince, The Onion, and TED. This year, our name was called too.

In New York, our work for RTRFM was announced as Music Website of the Year. It’s a project close to our hearts. A not-for-profit, community-driven station with a long history of supporting independent voices. It was a proud moment to see that work recognised on a global stage, ahead of names like Lady Gaga, Apple Music and SoundCloud.

We walked a red carpet on Wall Street and accepted our award alongside a roster of cultural heavyweights – Snoop Dogg, Ice T, Questlove, Justin Theroux, Walton Goggins. People we’d only ever seen on screens, now in the same room.

But the whirlwind didn’t end in New York. We landed back in Australia and flew straight to Melbourne for the Australian Web Awards, where we were up for five nominations. By the end of the night we were heading home with two wins for Top Up Wines and Revo Fitness websites.

If New York was global recognition, Melbourne was a reminder of the respect and trust of our peers here at home. There’s incredible pride that comes with being celebrated across Australia by people who understand the industry, the challenges, and the craft.

Winning both internationally and nationally within the space of a week wasn’t something we’d planned for. But maybe that’s the point. These moments can’t be planned for.

We’re proud. We’re grateful. And we’re already thinking about what’s next.

Not a bad few weeks’ work.