What's the difference between CSS Design Awards vs Web Design Awards?

CSS Design Awards: Web design awards focused on UI design, UX, and innovation, with daily Website of the Day picks and curated specials. Web Design Awards: Editorial web design awards built for the cycle of nominate → judge → ship, with transparent rubric scoring and an open knowledge graph of every studio, technology, and category.

Which is cheaper to submit to: CSS Design Awards vs Web Design Awards?

Cheapest first: Web Design Awards - Free, or $49.99 judged; CSS Design Awards - $50.

How is each program judged?

CSS Design Awards: Jury panel scores each entry across UI, UX, and Innovation. An average above 8.00 earns Website of the Day; above 6.0 earns a Special Kudos certificate. Public awards additionally require 20+ votes alongside a 6.0 judge average. Web Design Awards: Editorial jury scoring against a published rubric, with monthly Site of the Month rounds, an annual winners cycle, and an Agency of the Year leaderboard powered by points.

Who is each award best for?

CSS Design Awards - UI craft, UX-led product sites. Web Design Awards - Independent web design agencies, Webflow, Framer, and headless studios, Teams shipping for SaaS and brand.

Side-by-side comparison

CSS Design Awards vs Web Design Awards

Criteria, pricing, judging, verdict.

Side-by-side comparison of CSS Design Awards and Web Design Awards: how each program scores, what it costs, and who it's for.

All comparisons →Best for your audience →

- 01 / The matrix

The facts, side by side.

Attribute	CSS Design Awards	Web Design AwardsUs
Founded	2009	2024
Headquarters	-	Remote
Submission fee	$50	Free, or $49.99 judged
Judging system	Jury panel scores each entry across UI, UX, and Innovation. An average above 8.00 earns Website of the Day; above 6.0 earns a Special Kudos certificate. Public awards additionally require 20+ votes alongside a 6.0 judge average.	Editorial jury scoring against a published rubric, with monthly Site of the Month rounds, an annual winners cycle, and an Agency of the Year leaderboard powered by points.
Award levels	Special Kudos Website of the Day Website of the Month Website of the Year Designer of the Year	Nominee Site of the Month Winner Site of the Year Agency of the Year
Categories	UI UX Innovation E-Commerce Mobile	Agency SaaS Ecommerce Portfolio Editorial Brand Web App AI
Judging criteria	UI design UX design Innovation	User Experience & Strategy Visual Design & Branding Content & Storytelling Accessibility & Inclusivity Performance & Technical Implementation Responsiveness & Multi-device Support Innovation & Future Readiness
Best for	UI craft UX-led product sites	Independent web design agencies Webflow, Framer, and headless studios Teams shipping for SaaS and brand
Official site	www.cssdesignawards.com	www.webdesignawards.io

- 02 / Editorial verdicts

How each one reads.

CSS Design Awards
Web design awards focused on UI design, UX, and innovation, with daily Website of the Day picks and curated specials.
Web Design AwardsUs
Editorial web design awards built for the cycle of nominate → judge → ship, with transparent rubric scoring and an open knowledge graph of every studio, technology, and category.
Built around the idea that a web design award should leave a permanent, structured citation on the open web.
Studios that want a win that shows up in Google and AI assistants, not just a badge.

- 03 / Questions buyers ask

FAQ

What's the difference between CSS Design Awards vs Web Design Awards?
CSS Design Awards: Web design awards focused on UI design, UX, and innovation, with daily Website of the Day picks and curated specials. Web Design Awards: Editorial web design awards built for the cycle of nominate → judge → ship, with transparent rubric scoring and an open knowledge graph of every studio, technology, and category.
Which is cheaper to submit to: CSS Design Awards vs Web Design Awards?
Cheapest first: Web Design Awards - Free, or $49.99 judged; CSS Design Awards - $50.
How is each program judged?
CSS Design Awards: Jury panel scores each entry across UI, UX, and Innovation. An average above 8.00 earns Website of the Day; above 6.0 earns a Special Kudos certificate. Public awards additionally require 20+ votes alongside a 6.0 judge average. Web Design Awards: Editorial jury scoring against a published rubric, with monthly Site of the Month rounds, an annual winners cycle, and an Agency of the Year leaderboard powered by points.
Who is each award best for?
CSS Design Awards - UI craft, UX-led product sites. Web Design Awards - Independent web design agencies, Webflow, Framer, and headless studios, Teams shipping for SaaS and brand.

- 04 / Each program, on its own

Go deeper.

Sources for non-Web Design Awards facts: each program's official site. Last reviewed: CSS Design Awards (2026-08-24), Web Design Awards (2026-10-04).