WHOI wins Webby People’s Voice Award for It’s an Ocean World interactive experience
April 23, 2026
Woods Hole, Mass. (April 22, 2026) — Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has been named a winner of a 2026 Webby People’s Voice Award for It’s an Ocean World an interactive web experience created as part of WHOI’s Campaign for Our Ocean Planet. The honor, awarded in the Websites and Mobile Sites: Science category, is part of the 30th Annual Webby Awards, widely regarded as the Internet’s highest distinction.
Winning with over 4.6 million votes, cast by more than 940,000 people worldwide, the Webby People’s Voice Award recognizes excellence in digital innovation and storytelling. It’s an Ocean World experience that invites audiences to explore the ocean as a single, connected system, revealing a world of importance, wonder, and possibility through ocean science.
Launched in late 2025, the interactive experience is built around the Spilhaus Projection, developed by WHOI oceanographer Athelstan Spilhaus, which reimagines Earth’s oceans as one continuous body of water. Through immersive animation and multimedia storytelling, users encounter features such as the global ocean conveyor, mid-ocean ridge, polar systems, the ocean’s twilight zone, and vast phytoplankton blooms.
“The People’s Voice Award is especially meaningful because it reflects the strength of our WHOI community and how this experience has connected with audiences,” said Danielle Fino, WHOI’s Chief Communications Officer. “It’s an Ocean World invites audiences, was created to shift how we see our planet, and it’s inspiring to see that connection come to life.”
The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), received more than 13,000 entries from over 70 countries this year.
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About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Founded in 1930 and based on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, WHOI’s mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicate the ocean’s vital role in the global environment.
About The Webby Awards
Hailed by The New York Times as the “Internet’s highest honor,” The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization recognizing excellence on the Internet across a wide range of categories.