Macromedia Announces MAX Awards Winners; Recognizes Innovative Digital Experiences Delivered by Macromedia Developers

Business Wire, Nov 20, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Macromedia MAX 2003

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 20, 2003

Macromedia (Nasdaq:MACR) today announced the winners of the 2003 MAX Awards, which recognize the most innovative digital experiences built with Macromedia technology. MAX attendees selected Cartoon Network's Virtual Townsville, developed by Lightmaker Ltd., as the People's Choice award winner from among sixteen finalists across eight categories. To see detailed information on the category winners and finalists, visit http://www.macromedia.com/go/maxawards/.

"Selecting the best entries from this amazing pool of talent was certainly a formidable task," said Al Ramadan, executive vice president of marketing, Macromedia. "But the stunning work everyone submitted certainly shows the breadth and depth of talent that exists in our community. Every one of these web sites and applications are an inspiration to new developers and a benchmark for what makes a great user experience for experienced developers."

"While it made life as a judge more difficult, the abundance of engaging digital experiences was certainly refreshing and indicative of the efforts so many Macromedia developers put into their work every single day," said Joe Pine, founder, Strategic Horizons LLP, and co-author of "The Experience Economy," who judged the customer-facing category. "Mindseye won the category for the work they did on the FootJoy - MyJoys site by taking something that is by most accounts boring and turning it into an efficient, playful online experience."

Winners and finalists were selected in each of eight categories by a diverse panel of Macromedia employees and user community celebrities including Pine; Doug Jaeger, group creative director, TBWA\Chiat\Day; Michael W. Allen, chairman and CEO, Allen Interactions; and John Dalton, senior analyst, Forrester Research. The selections were chosen based on design, development, and return on investment that the projects brought to the entrant's organization.

And the winners, by category, are:

Advertising: Yahoo! AdVision popped up as the winner for its streaming ad unit that combines photos, e-mail notifications, sweepstakes capabilities, and localized showtimes for movie campaigns.

Branding: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish web site, developed by Euro RSCG Circle Boston, hooked this one for its redesigned site that translates the fun of eating smiling Goldfish crackers into an online experience.

Business: Avery Photo ID System, developed by Fluid, Inc., signed-in and checked-out with this award for its corporate visitor management system that replaces paper logbooks at corporate front desks.

Customer-facing: The FootJoy - MyJoys site developed by Mindseye, Inc., avoided all of the sandtraps that make for a bad customer experience with its golf shoe design and customization site.

E-learning: Web-based training for Siemens Medical Solutions syngo software developed by Spirit Link GmbH moved to the head of the class with a training application that teaches medical staff to manage medical imaging information.

Education: University of Arizona lets nature take its course in its Geotechnical, Rock, and Water (GROW) Resources Library, which provides educational civil engineering resources.

Government: Park$ Budget Reporting System won the vote by coordinating budget reporting across several parks for the National Park Service Intermountain Region.

Media, Entertainment, and Gaming: Lonely Planet Publications plotted its success with an interactive travel planner for Sony Europe that creates customized itineraries across 20 European cities.

For information on all the winners and finalists in each category, as well as detail on what Macromedia products were used for each project, visit http://www.macromedia.com/go/maxawards/.

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