Carlsbad Department of Development Recognized for Prestigious Interactive Media Award

    CARLSBAD, NM, May 28, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Horizon Interactive Awards, a leading international interactive media awards competition, announced the 2009 award winners to highlight this year's "best of the best" in interactive media production.

The Carlsbad Department of Development, located in Carlsbad, New Mexico, was recognized for their excellence with a Bronze award for the government website category.

"This is a fantastic honor," said John Waters, Executive Director of the Carlsbad Department of Development. "We spent many hours planning and designing our website to be as user-friendly to site selectors, current residents and people moving to Carlsbad. Our entire team works very hard to make our website as up to date and accurate as possible. Receiving this award was a surprise and I am glad the efforts of our entire team are recognized."

The eighth annual, international competition saw just over 2000 entries from 32 countries around world and nearly all 50 of the United States of America. An international panel of judges, consisting of industry professionals with diverse backgrounds, as well as an end user panel evaluated 19 different categories ranging from online advertising to video games. The 2009 winning entries showcase the industry's best interactive media solutions including web sites, CDs and DVDs, online ads, video and more.

"The 2009 competition was an all new level for the competition," said Mike Sauce - Founder of the Horizon Interactive Awards. "The overall quality of entries was far and away the best we have ever had and judging was very competitive. Year after year, we are amazed at the level of creativity and overall technical excellence of the entries that are recognized by the competition. They truly are the best of the best!"

In its 8th year, the Horizon Interactive Awards was created to recognize excellence in interactive media production worldwide. Since 2001, the competition has received many thousands of entries from countries around the world and nearly all 50 US States. Each year, those entries are narrowed down to the best of the best to be recognized and promoted on and international stage for their excellence. The judging process involves a Horizon Interactive Awards advisory panel, end user panel and a worldwide panel of judges consisting of industry professionals. For more information, visit www.horizoninteractiveawards.com.

The Carlsbad Department of Development (CDOD) is a private non-profit agency incorporated as a 501(c)(6) organization in 1966. The membership of the CDOD represents over 100 chief executive officers in industry, business and finance, the City of Carlsbad, Eddy County Board of Commissioners, New Mexico State University-Carlsbad, and the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce. The goal of the CDOD is to promote the economic and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Carlsbad and South Eddy County through job retention and creation by recruiting new industry, identifying new job opportunities, expanding and retaining existing business and diversifying their economy. For more information, visit www.developcarlsbad.org.

The Carlsbad Department of Development promotes the economic and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Carlsbad and South Eddy County, New Mexico.

# # #