Webby Awards: Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Dwayne Johnson were recognized at the Show

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Riz Ahmed, Dua Lipa, Andra Day and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson were recognized Tuesday at the Webby Awards for Best of the Internet.

Fauci was named Webby Person of the Year for using digital media and social media to convey real information about COVID-19 to the masses. DuVernay won the Person in Film and Video of the Year award for his efforts to create a database to diversify Hollywood.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Webby Awards, selected by the Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The ceremony was hosted by actress and activist Jameela Jamil, with appearances by Naomi Watts, Padma Lakshmi, and Gayle King, among others.

“It is a unique year for the internet. It’s what kept us connected all year long ”, said Claire Graves, president of the Webby Awards. “Our winners are a testament to this, really. They kept us connected in so many different ways. They informed us, like Dr. Fauci, they encouraged us and helped us unleash global movements as well”.

The awards began in 1996 by recognizing internet sites. Now they have grown to adopt new technologies, from applications and software to social networks and games. This year the organizers added virtual and remote experiences.

Ahmed and Day took home awards for “Sound of Metal” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday ”, respectively. Johnson’s use of social media earned him an achievement award, as did chef José Andrés, who was recognized for fighting food insecurity.

Other winners are Oprah’s Reading Club, “Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical,” “NBC Nightly News: Kids Edition,” “We Are George Floyd,” and the podcasts “Pod Save America,” “The Motherly Podcast.” Kristen Bell and “Jemele Hill is Unbothered.”

Dua Lipa took home two video awards for “Hallucinate” and “Dua Lipa Has New Rules for COVID Dating.” The Color of Change #JusticeForFloyd campaign brought the Webby into public service and activism. Neil deGrasse Tyson won a Webby for his science and education podcast. Chef Gordon Ramsay, the band BTS and actress Jennifer Garner were among the winners of the Webby Awards voted by the public.

This year the first special achievement award, the Webby Anthem Award, was presented to Pharrell Williams for his work for racial equality in education and entrepreneurship. Another new award is the Webby Activist of the Year Award, which went to “black-ish” and “grown-ish” star Yara Shahidi for her work for social justice and voter turnout.

The Webby Social Movement of the Year Award went to Stop AAPI Hate for using the Internet to effectively track and respond to incidents of intolerance and discrimination against Asians and Asian-Americans in the United States. The academy also announced that Comedy Central is the Webby Media Company of the Year after receiving the most awards in all categories from Webby with 14 awards in total.

“The way people have used the internet has accelerated so much this year, and it will be interesting to see how people continue to use the new technology.” Graves said. “The internet will not stop, it will continue to grow and develop.”