Mother Nature Network MNN (http://www.mnn.com) announced today that it has been nominated for Best Lifestyle website in the 14th Annual Webby Awards. Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

Launched in January 2009 by former marketing executive Joel Babbit and Rolling Stones keyboardist and noted environmentalist Chuck Leavell, MNN is one of the Internet's most recognized resources for environmental and social responsibility news and information. With a network of more than 150 journalists, MNN has become a leading global Internet brand with visitors from more than 200 countries.

"Nominees like Mother Nature Network are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet," said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards. "It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the nearly 10,000 entries we received this year."

"To be nominated in the Lifestyle category, in the same company of media leaders like Yahoo! and Conde Nast, is a great honor, especially for a 15-month-old venture," said Joel Babbit, CEO of Mother Nature Network, whose site has skyrocketed by providing a voice and design aimed at a mainstream audience versus the academic and technical approach traditionally taken by sites covering similar topics.

As a nominee, MNN is also eligible to win a Webby People's Voice Award, which is voted online by the global Web community. From now until April 29th, millions of people can cast their votes in The Webby People's Voice Awards at http://webby.aol.com/living/lifestyle.

Winners will be announced on May 4th, 2010 and honored at a star-studded ceremony in New York City on June 14th where they will have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards' famous five-word speeches. Past Webby Award winners - and their speeches - include Al Gore ("Please don't recount this vote."), Stephen Colbert ("Me. Me. Me. Me. Me."), and Michel Gondry ("Keyboards are full of germs.")

The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 650-person judging academy whose members include Martha Stewart, David Bowie, "Simpson's" creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.

About the Mother Nature Network
Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) is one of the world's leading websites -- providing the most accurate and up-to-date news and information available on environmental and social responsibility issues. Time called it "The New Green CNN", it was selected as the best "Great Green Idea" at Fortune's 2010 Green Summit, Fast Company labeled it "Best of the Breed", and The Associated Press profiled it in "Green Machine". Launched in January 2009, it serves as a resource for close to a million visitors each month from over 220 different countries. While other sites present related information in technical and academic terms, MNN is designed for a mainstream consumer and business audience. The majority of its content is original-covering a comprehensive scope of topics with engaging, easy to understand graphics, videos, interactive features, and articles. Among the over 6200 sites in Alexa Information Services environmental category, MNN is ranked number 6 worldwide -- surpassed only by sites primarily for government agencies such as the EPA, NOAA and National Park Service. It has achieved traffic increases for 15 consecutive months, with over 1 million visits and 3.5 million page views in March 2010. MNN also takes a very different approach from the traditional advertising model followed by most sites. The effectiveness of this model has attracted many of the world's top companies as sponsors including Dell, American Express, The Coca-Cola Company, AT&T, Pfizer, AFLAC, GE, Southern Company, PGI, Georgia-Pacific, Clorox, and Best Buy.

About The Webby Awards
Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile web sites. Established in 1996, the 13th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

Mother Nature Network

Mother Nature Network

Mother Nature Network is a leading source for mainstream environmental news and information. With eight different channels – Earth Matters, Health, Lifestyle, Green Tech, Eco Biz & Money, Food & Drink, Your Home and Family – MNN provides a broad range of information that is accurate, engaging and unbiased. With visitors from more than 200 countries, MNN.com is the fastest growing environmental news site in the world. For more information, please visit www.mnn.com.

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