Voting has closed
...in the 2003 Wibsite Awards, affectionately known to its friends as the "Wibbys". They're not just another yearly internet award,
as no other award offers category winners the 2004 Wibsite Calendar, 28 (if you include the front cover, the back cover and the back of the front cover) pages of full black and white quality.
Voting is now open - here's what to do. Take a look at each of the ten categories, then vote once only in each category by clicking the small blue tick-like thing next to your chosen choice. Take
a look here if you want to know the story so far. Voting will close at the end of Sunday 25th January (GMT), winners will be unveiled during the following week.
The Categories
Outstanding Contribution to Oddness
British Standard, September 1st 2003 (View entry)
Tracy recounts her brush with two very odd marathon runners deep in the bowels of Swansea's subway system.
The A P Lunchington Memorial Wiblog, October 2nd 2003 (View entry)
In which dodgy one-hit wonder school choirs mess with Dyfrig's head.
Culture and spirituality blog, May 10th-11th 2003 (View entry)
Few wibloggers have put a microphone to their oil tank. Fewer still have wiblogged about it. Dave Killingback is that man.
Backburner, October 2nd 2003 (View entry)
The Lawnranger wins the Best Business Name prize for 2003. Rhys writes about punning business names. The Lawnranger responds.
Lunchtime Achievement Award
Tea Break, November 10th 2003 (View entry)
An explanation of a wiblog entry written on a handheld computer at 4 am, demonstrating the strange time-shifting nature of wiblogging.
Tangled Wib, June 15th 2003 (View entry)
Dave presents some toilet humour from that well-known event in the society calendar, the Thurrock Beer Festival.
The A P Lunchington Memorial Wiblog, May 28th 2003 (View entry)
Dyfrig stuns the world with his choruswriting talents. Worthy of at least this year's Spring Harvest, they're saying.
Playing Around, December 7th 2003 (View entry)
School Christmas concerts provide an insight into the fraught life of a string teacher and peripatetic viola player. Warning: contains scenes of cruelty to string instruments.
the chalk board, March 24th 2003 (Click here then scroll down to view entry)
Chalky goes church-hunting and realises that "Christians on the whole are good people trying to do the right thing. However, this doesn't mean I have to hang around with all of them. Phew."
Marmite on Toast, January 3rd 2003 (Click here then scroll down to view entry)
Lemly on JRR Tolkien's eleventy-first birthday. "[He] would no doubt have hidden away from the myriad of fans gleefully commemorating the event worldwide."
Effort of the Year
Confessions of a Bamphire Mother, November 5th 2003 (View entry)
Soo managed to wiblog without being near a computer, let alone an internet connection. How? By sending her entry 600 miles away so that it could be typed up.
Playing Around, November 13th 2003 (View entry)
Just one example on what Viola has endured during 2003, having her ears challenged, travelling many miles and being called to do far more than would normally be asked from a wiblogger.
portrait of the artist as a young cat, June 10th 2003 (View entry)
He hasn't got opposable thumbs, and yet he still manages to wiblog. How does Heathcliff, the Wibsite's resident cat, do it?
Amanda's Ambiguous Amblings, April 5th 2003 (Click here then scroll down to view entry)
Outside the frankly impenetrable comments for the dull blog, the biggest postbag any wiblogger managed to receive this year came after Amanda discussed the relative merits of Fairport Convention and Show of Hands. The folk-rockers came out in force.
Marmite on Toast, May 14th 2003 (Click here then scroll down to view entry)
During May, Lemly managed a copiously annotated and linked post every day as part of her '31 Songs in May' feature. Here's an example of one of them, a 20-link epic on the folk standard 'Matty Groves', all the more impressive because she entered it twice, following an inadvertent press of the 'Back' button...
Lookalike of the Year
Chalky vs Kate Rusby
It has been noted that veteran folk babe Kate Rusby bears a remarkable resemblance to veteran Wiblogger, Chalky. Have you ever seen them at the same place at the same time? What? Oh. Well anyway, they still look quite alike.
Dave Walker vs Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
River Cottage resident Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Wibsite ubermeister Dave Walker. What is there to choose between them? Quite a lot, actually, if you've ever tasted Dave's kiwi fruit and ravioli pie. But they do look quite similar.
Nessa vs Alanis Morrisette
They both sing! They both play piano! They both own a copy of Jagged Little Pill! The similarities between Swansea wiblogger Nessa and Canadian songstrel Alanis Morrisette are truly striking. And they look quite alike too.
Neil vs His Holiness Pope John Paul II
"They'll say to him, 'Neil' - and he will!" You know things are getting desperate here on the Wibsite when we resort to nicking a gag off an old John Major speech. Still, when yogurt-chooser extraordinare Neil gets down to some Pontiff-centric genuflection, you have to admit there's more than a certain resemblance...
Best Christian Humour Site/Feature
Ship of Fools (Visit site)
The Internet's "magazine of Christian unrest" has been making waves since its online inception in 1998, and now its mix of satire, humour and commentary boasts over two million hits a month. Features include unlikely religious lookalikes in Born Twice, the nutty fringes of belief in the Fruitcake Zone, and others' cringes presented for your delight in Signs and Blunders.
Lark News (Visit site)
"A good source for Christian news", they claim. With headlines such as "Iraqis glad to be free of Saddam and Chick tracts" and "Cussing evangelist brings gospel to the vulgar", it's hard not to agree. Also features auctions for such rarities as the Veggietales "Larryboy and the Gospel of Thomas" bootleg.
Bold's Fold (Visit site)
The most unusual church in the world, or just the most unusually typical? Darren's cartoons, first seen in Christianity and Renewal magazine, were once lovingly hosted by the Wibsite, and we've been delighted to see them spread their wings towards a proper book, with pages and things, that you can buy.
Hymns Modern and Ancient (Visit site)
A typical example of one of their chants, suitable for christenings, weddings and funerals: "Vicar, remember me?/I was in your congregation." If churches were a little more honest, this is what we'd sing.
The Frankly Unfriendly Catholics (Visit site)
They oppose asthmatics (they'd get in the way of the incense) and Graham Kendrick ('there's an extra-special circle of hell reserved for him'), but mostly, they oppose females. See what they believe and try their quiz to see if you qualify to join. Those who have been in the same room as a woman need not apply.
Best Christian Blog
John Davies: notes from a small curate (Visit blog)
John Davies is a curate in Liverpool, and one of the Greenbelt bloggers. Encompassing an extraordinary range of subjects, the nomination received for his weblog stated, "His warmth and wit shine through his writing, and he strikes me as the sort of man you could happily take out for a drink and listen to for hours."
theconnexion blog (Visit blog)
The weblog of Richard Hall, a Methodist minister in South Wales, has grown into a true collaborative effort, and now covers a wide variety of styles and opinions. During the past year, it's sidelined into a group wiki and a photoblog too. It was a multiple nomination in this category.
exiguus (Visit blog)
"A jolt of reality" is promised by Exiguus, who blogs from Yorkshire. Day-to-day living, everyday situations and the blessings and tribulations of coping with an autistic son are all dealt with here, with good humour and grace.
Real Live Preacher (Visit blog)
Probably the most well-known of any of the bloggers on this list, Real Live Preacher skirts the boundaries of orthodox Christianity whilst giving more orthodox Christians plenty of food for thought and inspiration. If you're new to his site, his own story is as good a thing as any to read first.
John Heron Project (Visit blog)
More than just a blog, Howard Ingham's site encompasses short stories from a range of contributors, a bulletin board, free downloads and its central premise: "bite-sized serials, daily", invariably engrossing and addictive.
Jonny Baker (Visit blog)
Author of one of the best 'alternative worship' blogs on the Net, Jonny Baker, part of the Grace community in West London, gives his daily reflections on the way we praise, and the way we 'do church'. Entertaining and thought-provoking.
Best Christian Site
rejesus (View site)
rejesus explores the life, character, teaching and followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Doing so in a relaxed and non-confrontational way, it still manages to raise questions and stimulates debate through its community boards. Great design and content here.
Heal your Church Website (View site)
Christianity has its own Jakob Nielsen, and that's Dean Peters. Our nominator puts it best: '[His] "teaching, rebuking, correcting & training in righteous web design" has resulted in several church websites improving their online presence. I’m almost certain that his mission to eradicate “the great cloud of witlessness that is the Church online” will succeed once he wins your valuable prize.' Well, we're happy to do our bit.
Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (View site)
Christians don't come much more well-known than Billy Graham. His no-nonsense website provides a quick guide to his ministries, a section on belief, bible studies and numerous resources. It's a vast site, and if there's anything you wanted to know about evangelical belief, or Graham himself, we'd be surprised if you can't find it here.
surefish.co.uk (View site)
The UK's premier Christian portal site, surefish provides a wealth of material on ethical living, the latest campaigns, faith and culture. It also boasts a thriving bulletin board community, and what's more, the ISP behind it ploughs every penny of its profits into the work of Christian Aid.
The Ark (View site)
Ship of Fools hosted 'the world's first internet reality gameshow' during Easter 2003. Twelve biblical heroes were housed in a virtual ark for 40 days and nights, with only one winner, chosen by the public, at the end. Now in 'dry dock', it's well worth a look at the site that was worthily nominated for a British Interactive Media Association award.
Link of the Year
That Be Bristle (View site)
Residents of the West Country will find much to amuse them here, in 'Bristol's premier news source'. If you've ever wondered why Temple Meads is so much better than Parkway, what's next after the failed City of Culture bid, or what the secret truth was about Concorde's final flight, look no further. We 'luvs it'.
The Framley Examiner (View site)
Drawing its inspiration from every rubbish local paper out there, the Examiner chronicles developments in the 'small, alarming town of Framley'. It's all too close to home, really, but special mention has to go to its wonderful museum site. In a style - and a class - all of its own.
diamondgeezer (View site)
Blogging in, round, and sometimes about London, he's a top blogger who's kept us entertained throughout 2003, with great writing, meticulous research and an awareness of his audience. A diamond geezer, indeed.
me(ish) (View site)
A highly entertaining blog with ladles of creativity, wit and humanity. Meg's various creations include the Mayfly Project: could you sum up your 2003 in twenty words or less?
Bad Toon Rising (View site)
Try this: take a piece of paper, and draw a well-known cartoon character entirely from memory. Looks nothing like them, does it? That's the premise behind Bad Toon Rising, a simple idea beautifully executed. Hours of entertainment from those brave/foolish enough to put their poor lookalikes online.
UsedWigs (View site)
Promising 'workday distractions', this well-written site delivers them in such huge quantities as to make us fear for your employment prospects should you read this at your desk. Tongue-in-cheek film reviews, the freshest links and the latest 'news' make for hours of leftfield fun. If you're at work, be warned: visiting this, your laughter might give you away after a while.
Churches ad hoc: a divine comedy (View site)
Herman Krieger presents an anthology of church photographs. Nothing extraordinary in that, but the quality of the images, the captions and the choice of source material add up to something quite special. If you haven't done so already, take a look now.
Most Annoying Link of the Year
Pie Eating Contest (View site)
An infuriating challenge from microprizes. Can you eat all the pie in 15 moves? It is possible, but if you've given it as many attempts as some of us have, you'd realise why it's nominated here.
Bud Uglly Design (View site)
Something of an internet classic, Bud Uglly Design has been poking gentle fun at the idiocies of web design fads since 1996. The way it does that is by creating outrageously over-the-top examples of the genre. Grit your teeth and take a look.
First Baptist Church (View site)
It's a parody, thankfully, but with the people from Heal your Church Website (see above) behind it, you can be sure it mirrors much of what passes for the Christian Internet. If it grates, then it should, and the real examples of this form of web 'design' should grate even more.
Badgers (View site)
Jonti 'Weebl' Picking unleashed this on an unsuspecting world back in September. The world would like to thank him, but it's far too busy trying to get the tune out of its head. Badger, badger, badger... how does it go again?
Lite-Brite (View site)
Those magic light games of your youth, brought to life in glorious Internet. Infuriatingly addictive and, as with most of these things, ultimately pointless.
Balls (View site)
Balls, and lots of them. You control the flashing spheroids as they spiral around in either a technicolour dream or a trippy nightmare. Here because our eyes went all funny after two minutes, and because we suspect 'Phong' is a made-up word.
Internet Oddity
The Meatrix (View site)
Yes, so it's a Matrix spoof, but it's a rather good one and it's got a message behind it too. The point of the site is to raise awareness of intensive farming methods, and to encourage consumer choice of the alternatives. Difficult to dislike that.
Windows RG (View site)
Smug Mac and Linux users need not apply. Everyone else, though, should find this all too familiar, with overly helpful paperclips, unresponsive applications and unavailable options. If you haven't performed an illegal operation today, now's your chance.
Look Around You (View site)
The online accompaniment to the BAFTA-nominated series gives students of all ages an unique insight into the world of SCIENCE. If you've forgotten everything you knew about the Periodic Table, want to test your knowledge of iron, or just find out how a Dependable Video Discus (DVD) actually works, this is the site for you.
Build your own VW Campervan (View site)
Ever wanted your own camper but didn't want to put up with the rust, the petrol costs and the driving? This site gives you just what you were looking for, but at a fraction of the expense. It might not handle quite as well though.
Neil Attempts to Sell the Spot the Wiblog Answers on Ebay (View site)
In which Neil attempts to sell the answers to the never-popular 'Spot the Wiblog' competition on Ebay. The cheek of the man. Is there nothing some people won't do to get a Wibsite calendar? [Yes, there is, and that's spend 35p - Ed]
Lada Club of Finland (View site)
See, we had a stash of Lada jokes all ready to put in here. But we visited the site, and saw that it said 'You don't have to own a Lada. It is enough to 'feel' you are driving a Lada.' We've just put that Jasper Carrott jokebook back on the shelf.
