www.show.me.uk is up for yet another award!

Show Me, the 24 Hour Museum’s zone for kids, has been nominated for a hugely prestigious international Webby Award.

Dubbed the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, the Webby Awards is the leading international award honouring excellence in web design, creativity, usability and functionality.

This year the 9th Annual Webby Awards received more than 4,000 entries from over 40 countries worldwide. Fighting off intense competition, www.show.me.uk has been nominated in the Education category.

Anra Kennedy, 24 Hour Museum Head of Learning and Show Me Editor, is thrilled about the nomination: "This is fantastic news for Show Me in what's turning out to be a very exciting year," she said.

"The site's breadth, energy and child appeal are a reflection of the great interactives we feature, so congratulations are due to all of those museums and galleries who've helped make Show Me such a runaway success."

More than 4,000 entries were received for this year's Webby Awards.

The Webby Awards were established in 1996 and are presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, an intellectually diverse organisation with over 500 members including leading experts in a range of fields. Among them are David Bowie, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, the Body Shop president Anita Roddick, fashion designer Max Azria and Simpsons creator Matt Groening.

The winners will be announced on May 3 2005 and a gala will be held to honour them at the historic Gotham Hall in New York City on June 6.

Launched in December 2003 www.show.me.uk is currently funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Department for Education and Skills. It aims to offer a gateway to the museum world for children aged between four and 11.

With design by Getfrank, the site brings together the most unusual, interesting and exciting physical and virtual projects, exhibitions and games produced in the UK’s museums and galleries.

This latest accolade caps an amazing first year for the site. As well as a place on the shortlist for a BAFTA Interactive award, Show Me was named best Arts, Culture and Heritage project at the Charity Awards in June 2004. The site was also highly commended in the Educational Initiative category at the Museum and Heritage Awards for Excellence in May 2005.

Furthermore, punters have been registering their approval by logging on in their thousands. Since January this year the average number of monthly visitors has more than doubled, with a whopping 167,940 dropping in for a read during March.

If all of Show Me's readers vote for the site, it might help it win a Webby!

Most importantly, emails sent in by some of these visitors show just how much they appreciate Show Me: "Your website is great," wrote one, "and if it wasnt for u i probaly woudlnt of learnt so much thanks so much."

Another wrote: "I like your website. The games are BRILLIANT I love the art ones like Design your own tile andface it. love from greenday fan."

(Show Me doesn't teach spelling — kids' words are published as written by them!)

Comments such as these could come in very useful for the Webby People’s Voice vote. Running alongside the official awards, the People’s Voice allows the online public to pick its winner. Anyone who thinks Show Me is the site for them can register and cast their vote on the Webby Awards website.

"It’s really great for our team to get international recognition for all its hard work," said 24 Hour Museum Director, Jane Finnis as news of the Webby nomination was announced.

"But this is also an accolade for all the fantastic collections, activities and content of the UK’s museums and galleries. We’re very pleased that we’ve been able to raise their profile too."