Alumnus’ website nominated for Webby award

Midd alum Mike Bender ’97 has just announced that his much-loved website, Awkward Family Photos (AFP), has been nominated for a Webby Award. Awkward Family Photos is exactly what its name suggests: a collection of photos featuring highly amusing and amazingly awkward families. Bender launched this site about a year and a half ago after realizing that the awkward family photos his family had were something relatable that everyone could enjoy together. The site has been featured in the New Yorker, GQ and Entertainment Weekly among other press outlets.
For Bender, being nominated for a Webby Award is a great honor. A Webby Award is an award presented annually by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Science (IADAS) for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising online, film and video and mobile content. For each category, there are two winners selected: one by members of the IADAS, and one by the public who cast their votes during Webby People’s Voice voting.
“It feels great to be nominated. For a website, the Webbys are the equivalent to the Emmys for TV or the Oscars for film, so it’s a big deal for us. We are nominated in the ‘weird category’ and of course we can consider AFP’s oddness a badge of honor.”
Some of the other websites in the “weird category” include thedailywh.at, whatthef*ckshouldimakefordinner.com, rathergood.com and mostawesomestthingever.com.

So why should you vote for AFP over the other “weird” websites?

“Awkward Family Photos deserves to win because … our site consistently surprises people and make them think, ‘Now, how the hell did that happen?’” said Bender. “But most importantly, we do it lovingly and never assume that we are any less weird or awkward than the next person. And let’s face it — is there anything stranger than family? No, and we like it that way.”
Bender encourages all Midd Kids to vote for his website to support a fellow Middlebury graduate and to help “spread the awkwardness,” as the site’s tagline suggests.

“I spent four gloriously awkward years at Middlebury and hope everyone will support us and vote for Awkward Family Photos by April 28,” said Bender. “To win, we’ll need every vote we can get.”