BBC scoops three Webbys

The winners receive a rather elegant trophy

The BBC has picked up three awards at this year's Webby Awards.

The prestigious award ceremony, dubbed the online Oscars, rewards web excellence in a wide range of categories, from politics to pop culture.

BBC News Interactive won in the Best News category while BBC Sport scooped top honours for its coverage.

A BBC website looking at the way the human body works won in the Best Education category.

Political influence

"This is fantastic recognition from the international internet industry of the quality and creativity of bbc.co.uk," commented Ashley Highfield, BBC Director of New Media and Technology.

This year's Webby Awards winners are changing the way we live in ways big and small Tiffany Shlain, founder of The Webbys

Pete Clifton, Editor of BBC News Interactive added: "It is a testament to the skill and dedication of our team and the BBC's commitment to delivering a high-quality news service on the web. It makes all the hard work worthwhile."

The BBC Sport team was particularly pleased to pick up an award as it is the first time that the honour has gone to a website outside of the US.

"That's a huge tribute to a professional and tireless team, who always put the user first - and it's the perfect start to what promises to be a fantastic summer of sport for the BBC," said Ben Gallop, Editor of BBC Sport Interactive.

The search engine Google did well, picking up two awards for Best Practices and Best Services.

In politics, Blog for America won the People's Voice Award, recognition of the influence it has had on the 2004 US presidential election.

Changing lives

Other winners included Apple's online music store iTunes, humorous site The Onion and Wikipedia.org, a free, community built encyclopaedia.

"This year's Webby Awards winners are changing the way we live in ways big and small - from how we listen to music to how we elect a president," said Tiffany Shlain, the founder of the awards.

The Webbys were founded in 1996 as a way of honouring the best of the web.

Nominees are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, whose members include internet co-creator Vint Cerf and Oracle chairman Larry Ellison.