Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Printing Industries of America is now accepting entries for the 2011 web2awards competition. In its third year, the web2awards is the premier--and only--annual award competition that names the best websites in the print/marketing service provider industry. Printers who enter the web2awards benefit from an Internet marketing opportunity, the chance to receive valuable feedback regarding their website development efforts, and a way to stand out among their peers.

New in this year's competition is the Social Media/Cross-media/Promotional Case Study category and the People's Choice Awards.

Social Media/Cross-media/Promotional Case Study Category

Social media and cross-media have become a prevalent force in the graphic communications industry, and the web2awards will recognize the printers who are using these tools. Entries in the Social Media/Cross-Media Campaign/Promotional Case Study category will be judged on the objective/goal of the program, the target/audience, and the results.

People's Choice Awards

Once all entries have been received and processed, they will be placed onto http://dpc.printing.org/web2awards, where, starting June 6th, the community will be able to vote for their favorites. "Today, competitions of all types meld 'expert panel' and popular voting," says Julie Shaffer, vice president, Digital Technologies, Printing Industries of America. "So this year we decided to give the web2award competitors an opportunity to ask their customers, staff, and friends to vote for their entry. We think this will both promote the competition and bring some added fun in to the proceedings!"

Printers can enter their websites into four different categories that are further separated by sales volume (Under $6 million, Between $6 million and $18 million, Over $18 million):

Print Service Provider's Business Website (no e-commerce component.)
Print Service Provider's Business Website (contains e-commerce component.)
Printing Industry News/Information
Social Media/Cross-media/Promotional Case Study

Entries are scored by a panel of judges in six different areas: innovation, ease of use, technology, content, structure and navigation, and overall design. The judges will also provide valuable feedback to entries.

"The web2awards highlights some of great innovation in the industry," Julie Shaffer added. "This competition is a way to foster a community of printers who are willing to embrace and leverage technology. By recognizing printers who utilize technology like social media, they in turn inspire printers looking to enter this arena."

Entries for the web2awards are $99 for Printing Industries of America members and $199 for non-members. Companies can enter their websites online at http://dpc.printing.org/web2awards  For more information, detailed rules and regulations, or questions about the web2awards, please contact Sam Shea at [email protected] or (800) 910-4283 ext. 747