Jacknjellify's Battle for Dream Island Honored by the Webby Awards, Nominated in Three Categories
LOS ANGELES, California - In a first for YouTube’s Object Show Community (OSC), Jacknjellify’s Battle For Dream Island (BFDI) has been nominated for three Webby Awards. In addition to those nominations, BFDI has earned seven Webby honors – additional categories in which the series is not an official nominee, but was one of the top 20-25% of all votes by the nominating committee. Now, its fate is up to fans, who will vote on nominations between now and Thursday, April 16th.
BFDI as a series was nominated in two categories as a series – that’s the Social & Games – Weird and Social & Games – Family & Kids categories. On top of that, BFDI: TPOT 20 - “Alone,” a landmark episode of BFDI‘s “The Power of Two” subseries that screened in sold-out theaters nationwide, earned a third nomination for Social & Games - Best Use of Video.
BFDI co-creator Michael Huang said, “Not to count my eggs before they hatch, but this might be the first object show recognized by the Webby Awards! Thank you to the object show community and the writers of ‘Why Is BFDI Not on Wikipedia?’ on all sides. And thanks especially to our crew, writers, and directors Sam and Joseph.”
In addition to its three nominations, BFDI received Webby Honors in seven categories: Social & Games - Arts & Entertainment; Creators - Most Viral; Video & Film – Comedy; Battle for Dream Island: TPOT 20 - “Alone” in Video & Film - Events & Live streams and Social & Games - Events & Live Streams; Battle for Dream Island Mini in Creators - Best Community Engagement; and the Battle for Dream Island Again 23: “Shattered!” Trailer in Creators - Best Editing.
Object shows center on anthropomorphic versions of everyday objects, ranging from pies and staplers to black holes. In Battle for Dream Island, the objects compete in reality-style challenges, with characters being eliminated by fan votes each episode. That means BFDI viewers are used to getting directly involved in interactive, online votes – something that could help their chances in the Webby Awards.
The OSC is a fairly tight-knit community, meaning that a Webby nomination for BFDI is not just a point of pride for the community as a whole. BFDI, which started in 2010, was created by Huang along with his brother Michael. The pair still work on the series as producers, consult with the writers, and oversee projects like merchandise and even a recent tie-in comic book, Seven’s Secret Orb.
For each category, the Webby Awards honor two winners per category: one selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), referred to as the Webby Winner, and one chosen by the public vote, the People’s Voice Winner.
“Our family has roots in San Francisco, where some of the first Webby Awards were held, so I’m crossing my fingers that either the judges smile upon it or we lock in the People’s Voice Award,” Michael Huang said in a statement. “If there’s one thing the object show community can do, it’s vote — so we’re counting on you!”
Fans can vote to support BFDI at the 30th Annual Webby Awards here.
