Recently I dove into the Web Design Awards — an international competition that celebrates the best websites of the year. I've always been curious about what the jury actually looks for, and what makes a project truly outstanding. In this post I share my breakdown, my personal top 5, and the technologies behind them.

All scores and data come from the official awards site. This is my subjective take based on open data and personal impressions.

The 7 Judging Criteria

The jury evaluates sites across 7 categories, each with a specific weight. Here's the full list with my comments.

15%
User Experience & Strategy
Intentional journeys that earn the visitor's time. Strategy must be visible in the design, not assumed.
15%
Visual Design & Branding
Visuals that feel both original and unmistakably on brand. Decorative competence is not enough.
10%
Content & Storytelling
Messaging that communicates value quickly and rewards deeper exploration. Words count as much as pixels.
10%
Accessibility & Inclusivity
Inclusive practices that serve diverse needs. Baseline compliance is the minimum, not the "ceiling".
20%
Performance & Technical Implementation
Engineering that makes the experience feel immediate, stable, and trustworthy. Heavy sites do not win.
10%
Responsiveness & Multi-device Support
Layouts that adapt fluidly across breakpoints and input modes — not just a mobile fallback of the desktop view.
20%
Innovation & Future Readiness
Work that pushes the medium forward — original concepts, responsible use of new technology, durable thinking.
My takeaway: Performance (20%) and Innovation (20%) carry the most weight. A beautiful site without speed and fresh thinking won't make the cut. For developers, this is a great compass.

My Personal Top 5 (Subjective)

I browsed projects from the Three.js category on Web Design Awards. Here are five that impressed me the most. Each score is the aggregate from the official site.

Casa Di Solare
9.30
Three.jsGSAPCSSHTMLJavaScriptWebGL
UX & Strategy 9.40 Visual Design 9.40 Content & Storytelling 9.10 Accessibility 9.10 Performance 9.30 Responsiveness 9.20 Innovation 9.40
Visit project
Maxime Guillon
7.90
CSSJavaScriptHTMLGSAPThree.jsReact
UX & Strategy 8.00 Visual Design 8.00 Content & Storytelling 8.20 Accessibility 7.70 Performance 7.80 Responsiveness 7.70 Innovation 8.50
Visit project
9870089044.com
7.80
HTMLCSSJavaScriptThree.js
UX & Strategy 7.50 Visual Design 7.90 Content & Storytelling 7.80 Accessibility 8.00 Performance 7.90 Responsiveness 7.90 Innovation 7.90
Visit project
Techy Scouts
8.40
WordPressPHPHTMLCSSJavaScript
UX & Strategy 8.70 Visual Design 8.50 Content & Storytelling 8.50 Accessibility 8.10 Performance 8.30 Responsiveness 8.20 Innovation 8.30
Visit project
Nexus Mag
8.50
stack not listed
UX & Strategy 7.70 Visual Design 8.60 Content & Storytelling 8.80 Accessibility 9.20 Performance 8.90 Responsiveness 7.20 Innovation 8.60
Visit project

The full list of finalists and winners is available on the Three.js ranking page.

Source: Web Design Awards — all scores and tech stacks are from there.

Key Takeaways for Developers

  • Performance is king. Even a visually stunning site loses points if it loads slowly.
  • Innovation with purpose. The jury values responsible use of new tech, not just effect-stacking.
  • Accessibility is not a checkbox. It's a core part of the experience.
  • Storytelling matters. Content and words carry weight when they complement the visual journey.

Next post will be about “Three.js Websites Showcase” — a deep dive into the best examples, lessons learned, and actionable insights for your own projects.
Stay tuned!