‘Living Galapagos’ wins People’s Voice Webby

"Living Galápagos," a UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media interactive project, won a People’s Voice Webby Award in the 18th Annual Webby Awards.

"Living Galápagos" and "Heart of the High Country" were two of the five nominees in the online film & video – travel & adventure category.

"Living Galápagos" (View the trailer) is an interactive multimedia website that explores the impact of mankind on the Galápagos Islands. The project, which originally launched in 2009, won the 2013 South by Southwest Interactive award in the student category and has been honored by the Society for News Design, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Horizon Interactive Awards and the College Photographer of the Year (CPOY) competition, among others.

"Heart of the High Country" (View the trailer) is an interactive multimedia website that tells the stories of the people living in the North Carolina mountains. The project was created as part of the 10th annual Carolina Photojournalism Workshop in which students immerse themselves in a North Carolina community and tell its stories in innovative ways. In March, it won a 2014 South by Southwest Interactive award in the student category, marking the third straight year the UNC journalism school has won the award.

"Living Galápagos has been an amazing opportunity for our students to produce meaningful multimedia journalism in one of the world’s most unique places. The Galápagos Islands face a myriad of cultural, language, and travel challenges, yet are able to create world-class content. This prepares them to shine in the professional world," said associate professor Pat Davison, who directed the projects. Davison has led three projects to the Galápagos Islands, and has led previous award-winning projects in Thailand, Mexico, Argentina and North Carolina.

This year's Webby Awards received more than 12,000 entries from all 50 U.S. states and more than 60 countries worldwide. From the thousands of global entries submitted to the Webby Awards, only 8 percent were selected as nominees.

Winners will be celebrated at a May 19 ceremony in New York City.