Showing all posts about awards

The Tiny Awards, celebrating the best personal, independent, non-commercial, and newest websites

11 July 2026

The resurgence of personal, independent, and non-commercial websites has been with us for several years, propelled in part by the IndieWeb/SmallWeb communities, and a heap of discontent — to say the least — with the present, excessively commercial, nature of the web.

And this revival couldn’t be more timely. When once we looked at scores of websites daily, today the attention of many people is dominated by perhaps a mere half dozen. But escaping the claustrophobic confines of these so called walled-gardens need not be a challenge.

Web directories — being listings of websites — once a staple of the early web, are also returning in abundance, and teem with links to personal, independent, and non-commercial websites. Ye Old Blogroll is but one example, and if you’re seeking the other web, is a great starting point.

Discovery by way of web directories is not the only path to a more personal, less commercial web, however. Web awards are another option. In the same way perhaps the long and short lists of literary awards, are a great way to source quality book reading suggestions.

The sample may be smaller than the offerings of web directories and good old fashioned blogrolls, but in web awards there might be more chance of finding something you can engage with.

Say web award aloud though, and the response may not be all that enthusiastic. Web awards are sometimes perceived as little more than online fraternities. Places where the usual suspects congregate, to take part in an annual round of mutual backslapping.

Money and influence pave the way to the winner’s podium. These are not arenas where personal, independent, and non-commercial websites, are welcome.

Since 2023 though, the Tiny Awards have been quietly reshaping the perceptions of web awards. For one, commercial websites, and apps, are barred. That means we’re only ever going to see the real deal. In addition, and just as importantly, websites entered for the Tiny Awards cannot be more than twelve months old. You’re at no risk of running into even one of the usual suspects here.

Founded by Matt Muir, Matt Klein and Kristoffer Tjalve, who is also a co-publisher of the Internet Phone Book, the Tiny Awards celebrate the independent, quirky, and utterly unique. Something even a cursory glance at the previous three winners quickly makes apparent.

Rotating Sandwiches, the 2023 winner, by Lauren Walker, might evoke a feeling of déjà vu in people who have been, yes, surfing the web since the 1990’s, an era when personal websites were not personal websites, unless they baffled and awed.

In 2024, the sadly no longer online One Minute Park (Internet Archive link), designed by Elliot Cost, who incidentally co-publishes the Internet Phone Book, triumphed. And in 2025, Fifty Thousand Names, a memorial to the then fifty-thousand people killed in the Gaza war, by Leo Scarin, won.

These are websites we do not see often anymore. And that, says Kristoffer, is part the idea of the Tiny Awards. He hopes to see a change in “the public perception of what makes a good website.”

He cites the work of French landscape architect Gilles Clément as an analogy. Clément would sometimes incorporate weeds in his garden designs. As he sees it, “weeds are no longer a symbol of abandonment, but an expression of resilience.”

Incorporating “weeds” into website design? How’s that for re-wilding the web? Kristoffer is in favour.

“I believe a similar shift would be beneficial for the web, and I’m happy that the first three winners all represent slightly different designs compared to the traditional online awards, because maybe they are foreign compared to the public perception, but they are surely more native to the web.”

In that context, it seems apt One Minute Park won the 2024 award. For those who missed it, the site featured rolling motion footage, clips of sixty seconds duration each, of public parks across the world. Rare is the public park that is completely weed-free, whether that be intentional or otherwise.

But One Minute Park was not the only website honoured by the Tiny Awards in 2024.

One Million Checkboxes, designed by Nolen Royalty, won a special category dubbed the Multiplayer award. So called as the project allowed anyone visiting One Million Checkboxes to participate in the action. The dual awards in 2024 made me wonder if the Tiny Awards might one day expand to include other categories. Or something along the lines of, say, a lifetime achievement award.

Matt Klein said that while the organisers had given the idea thought, they like the awards as they are.

“At their core, I think, the Tiny Awards reject the notion that people need awards to feel good about their work. If you’ve made something with passion and your own hands, and put it out into the world, that’s the reward in itself.”

That’s a sentiment that resonates with me. The only real reward I often seek in my web work is to be writing here, at my website. And as Matt Muir says, encouraging the creation of new websites of a personal, independent, and non-commercial nature, is the main goal of the awards.

“I think it’s also important that we focus on new sites, to act as push-back against the (sadly all-too-prevalent) idea that the web is somehow dying; it’s not, people are building new things every day, you just need some help finding them.”

“The Tiny Awards is about celebrating the fact that the web is still growing, is still full of creativity, is still full of potential rather than looking back nostalgically at some imagined ideal of When The Web Was Perfect.”

Now in their fourth year, it’s fair to say the Tiny Awards are a fixture in the personal/independent web sphere. But what of the future? How long might the awards continue? Will they still be with us in a few years time? Or next year, for that matter.

Matt Klein’s response to the question is succinct, “It’s always been and will likely be: one year at a time.” Matt Muir doesn’t look too far ahead either, but thinks reaching five years would constitute a pleasing milestone.

Kristoffer sees no reason why the awards couldn’t continue indefinitely, as they’re relatively straightforward to organise, although this would be contingent on the ongoing support of both the Matts. Kristoffer would also like to see the awards carry on until they have a Wikipedia page.

I’m not sure exactly how serious that aspiration is, but after four years of the Tiny Awards, it seems like a page on Wikipedia can’t be too far away. That would surely be achievement unlocked. But someone tell me quickly: I’m not tempting fate in saying that, right?

Thanks to Matt Muir, Matt Klein, and Kristoffer Tjalve, for their assistance with this article.

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Nominations for Tiny Awards, for personal web projects, open now

22 June 2026

Nominations for the 2026 Tiny Awards, are being accpted until the end of the month, June.

Entry is open to websites of a non-commercial and/or personal nature, launched between July 2025 and July 2026. Submissions from brands and agencies are not accepted. The same goes for apps.

Given only relatively new websites are eligible, I’m thinking recent events across the world will form the focus or subject matter of a number of nominations.

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The 2025 Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards shortlists

19 August 2025

Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser, winner of this year’s Stellar Prize, Highway 13 by Fiona McFarlane, and Juice by Tim Winton — which I’m presently reading — are among titles shortlisted in the fiction category of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Literary Awards.

Award categories also include non-fiction, Australian history, poetry, children’s literature, and young adult. Six-hundred-and-forty-five entries were received this year, indicating Australian writers are busy. The winners will be named on Monday 29 September 2025, at a ceremony in Canberra.

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Tiny Awards 2025 finalists announced, voting for winner open

8 August 2025

The nominees for the 2025 Tiny Awards have been announced.

Entry for the annual prize is open to personal or non-commercial websites that were no more than a year old in July, with their own unique URL (sorry, TikToks are ineligible).

Voting closes on Monday 1 September 2025, with the winner being named later in September.

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How many people will Oscar winners thank? How long will they speak for?

3 March 2025

A forty-five second limit for Oscar acceptance speeches was introduced in 2010, but that doesn’t always stop the motivated. Or those who feel they need to acknowledge everyone who contributed to their award. Back in the day — seventy plus years ago — acceptances were usually only a few words long. But a decade ago, they were pushing three-hundred words, says Stephen Follows:

Acceptance speeches in the middle of the 20th century were exactly that, a chance to accept the award and say thank you. Over time, they have evolved into a platform to express opinions, share emotions, and highlight personal journeys.

Why the increase? Having the undivided attention of what was once a large, captive audience, might have been something to do with it. Today, of course, Oscar recipients have the social media platforms, offering a continuous outlet, not just forty-five seconds of television.

On the subject of social media platforms, the size of Oscar television audiences has, overall, been in decline — at least in the United States — plunging to a nadir of about ten million viewers in 2021. What’s going on there? Were people keeping tabs on the Oscar’s ceremony through the likes of TikTok and Instagram, or has there been a general loss of interest in the awards?

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Chappell Roan wins best new artist at the 2025 Grammys

4 February 2025

American singer/song writer Chappell Roan, who topped the 2024 Triple J Hottest 100 just over a week ago, was named best new artist at the 2025 Grammys yesterday.

Roan used her acceptance to call on record companies to offer more support to emerging artists, in the form of improved healthcare and financial support, telling gathered industry executives: “we got you — but do you got us?”

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Megalopolis, Reagan, among Nominations for 2024 Razzie Awards

29 January 2025

Borderlands, Joker: Folie a Deux, Madame Web, Megalopolis, and Reagan, a biopic about the late United States President Ronald Reagan, are vying for the coveted $4.97 gold spray-painted statuette, in the worst picture category of this year’s Golden Raspberry, AKA, Razzie awards.

Recipients in all Razzie’s categories, including worst picture, will be announced on Saturday 1 March 2025, the day before the Oscars, on what is surely the film industry’s night of slights.

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One Minute Park, One Million Checkboxes, win Tiny Awards 2024

29 August 2024

One Minute Park by Elliott Cost, has been named winner of the main prize of the Tiny Awards 2024, while One Million Checkboxes by Nolen Royalty, took out the multiplayer player gong.

One is your lucky number this year. Held annually since last year, 2023, the Tiny Awards recognise excellence in non-commercial websites designed by individuals and/or or groups of creators.

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Tiny Awards 2024 shortlist announced, public voting open

24 July 2024

The shortlists for the 2024 Tiny Awards have been published. Now in their second year, the Tiny Awards honour “interesting, small, craft-y internet projects and spaces which basically make the web a more fun place to be.” Think the work of small, and independent creatives.

To be eligible, websites need to be non-commercial, and launched during, or after, June 2023.

Rotating Sandwiches — a website featuring images of rotating sandwiches, go and see for yourself — won the inaugural award in 2023. The 2024 winners — there are two categories, main award, and multiplayer — will be announced on Sunday 18 August 2024.

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The delicious Rotating Sandwiches wins inaugural Tiny Awards

26 July 2023

Rotating Sandwiches, designed by Lauren Walker, has been named winner of the inaugural Tiny Awards, a prize celebrating “the idea of a small, playful and heartfelt web.” Rotating Sandwiches is exactly what it says on the tin — go see for yourself — but if you’re feeling a bit peckish it might be an idea to wait until you have food in front of you.

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