YouTube Announces First-Ever Video Awards

YouTube sensations will get an opportunity to walk down a virtual red carpet.

The video-sharing Web site announced Monday that it will hold the first YouTube Video Awards to recognize the best-user created videos of 2006. The awards will be handed out in seven categories: most creative, most inspirational, best series, best comedy, musician of the year, best commentary and “most adorable video ever.”

Babysitter of the Year – Janice

The nominees, picked by YouTube, are compiled in a gallery at www.youtube.com/YTAwards. YouTube community members can vote on their favorites beginning Monday and concluding on Friday. The winners, as chosen by the community, will be announced March 25. Each will be prominently featured on YouTube and receive a trophy, the design of which will be revealed later.

Success on the site has previously been defined largely by rankings of the most-viewed or most-discussed videos.

“We wanted to call out some of the most popular videos and let the users choose which ones deserve some additional recognition,” said Jamie Byrne, head of product marketing at YouTube.

The vast and varied world of online video has gradually formed styles all its own, which figured into the formation of the categories.

“We looked at the genres of content that were the most popular last year,” Byrne said. “We’ve seen and continue to see exciting new developments in the online video space where genres are being created.”

Among the nominees are noted “vloggers” Paul Robinett (“Renetto”) and Peter Oakley (“Geriatric1927″). The comedy of Barats and Bereta, and Smosh, is also nominated, as are series such as Lonelygirl15′s and “Ask a Ninja.” The power pop band OK Go is perhaps the most professional of the nominees; it’s nominated for the famous treadmill-choreographed music video, “Here It Goes Again.”

Whether the YouTube Video Awards becomes a permanent, annual affair is likely, Byrne said, but it will depend on how the first awards are received.

“We want to see how the community responds to it, but we can see this being something that grows as we continue to grow and becomes a bigger and more exciting event in the future,” Byrne said. An in-person ceremony is possible in the future.

Google-owned, San Bruno, Calif.-based YouTube Inc. was founded in February 2005. Last week, media conglomerate Viacom Inc . sued YouTube for $1 billion, claiming the site infringes on copyrights on a “huge scale.” Several other media companies have reached agreements to supply YouTube with clips.

According to comScore Media Metrix, YouTube attracted 133.5 million visitors worldwide in January.

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Hungry For More? Top 25 After the Jump!

Continued…

25. The Layered Look
Matt McAllister puts on 155 T-shirts to set a Guinness world record

24. That Smarts
What’s worse than the sight of this vicious punch? The sound it makes.

23. Octogenarians Tackle Coldplay
This version of ‘Fix You’ could be 2006′s most heartbreaking music video.

22. Alternative History Lesson
See George Washington as you never knew him: a cold-blooded gangsta.

21. The Osmonds Rock
We never guessed Donny and bros had it in them until we saw ‘Crazy Horses.’

20. On Second Thought, No Thanks
We’re not telling you what that is. You’ll have to suffer through it like we did.

19. I’m Sorry, Matt, but We’ve Run Out of Time
Damon is bumped one too many times from Jimmy Kimmel’s show.

18. Peanut Butter K-Fed
Scary that Federline’s Teen Choice Awards performance is almost as funny.

17. Support the Troops
Insurgency, man it’s happenin’ when soldiers spoof SNL’s viral hit in ‘Lazy Ramadi.’

16. Little Superstar
He’s got the moves AND the loving support of his family.

17. The Hardest Working Actor in Show Biz
Brandon Hardesty plays every role in his dead-on re-enactments. Here, he takes on ‘Silence of the Lambs.’

14. Obsessive Noah
One picture every day for six years makes for a video with more edits than ‘Everybody Have Fun Tonight.’

13. James and Special Guests
Who jams with the Godfather of Soul? Put it this way: it was a good night to be in the audience.

12. They’re Not Just for Drinking
A new sport has taken the nation, or at least the tubes, by storm.

11. Will It Blend?
To answer that age-old question, mixmaster Tom throws everything but the kitchen sink into the blender.

10. Cockroach 1, Weatherman 0
A meteorologist in Florida meets his creepy crawly match in the middle of a live broadcast.

9. Pity Paris
In a year filled with the perils of Paris on TMZ.com, we especially loved her rare show of emotion here.

8. David Bowie’s ‘Extras’ Cameo
The Thin White Duke’s cruel sing-along is his catchiest song since ‘Blue Jean.’

7. Hold My Calls, I’m Blogging
One businessman discovers that the blogosphere is “hot.”

6. ‘Seinfeld: The Lost Episode’
Michael Richards’ — um, Kramer’s — racist comments open a can of worms for Jerry and the gang.

5. Speak the Hungarian Rapper
He mourns Tupac, declares hatred for terrorists and pleads to “Stop Da War.”

4. Worst. Sportscast. Ever.
Ball State U’s Brian Collins better make sure this is edited out of his highlight reel.

3. Caruso’s CSI-One-Liners Marathon
Thanks to someone with lots of time on their hands, we’ll never look at Caruso without snickering again.

2. Have You Seen This Leprechaun?
He’s on the loose near Mobile, Ala.

1. This Hurts, This Hurts
We have a new super villain and her name is Janice.

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YouTube Announces First-Ever Video Awards

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