The 8th PWA moves into semifinals

The 8th Philippine Web Awards entered the semifinal round on September 5, 2005. The month-long semis will give the judges the opportunity to assess screened entries based on preset criteria.

During the semifinals, judges will narrow down screened entries to 10 semifinalists per category. After evaluation, these 10 semifinalists will then move on to the pre-finals.

However, overall awards committee chairperson Malou Macatangay said that 10 is not the standard number of semifinalists. “There are some categories that have less than 10 screened entries. Some nominees still tried to pay the nomination fee, but it was way past the deadline,” said Macatangay.

Categories that have only five screened entries, for instance, still have to be evaluated. They are not necessarily guaranteed a slot in the semifinals. Entries should be given, at least, a minimum average score of seven out of 10 by the judges for them to be included in the pre-finals.

The organizers assigned judges to categories they are familiar with. “Some of the judges were previous winners. Others are known local Web designers and developers,” Macatangay said.

Semifinalists will be notified via email and a complete list posted at www.philippinewebawards.com

Pre-finals and online/SMS voting for People’s Choice will begin next month.