BBC News Online has been named best news service at the prestigious Webby internet awards.

The BBC won two categories at the awards ceremeony in San Francisco, with BBC Radio 4's website winning the radio award.

The success continued a winning tradition, after the corporation's World Service radio website won the prize last year.

Radio 4 was doubly honoured because its site was also the People's Voice winner, chosen by the public.

The Webbys, as they are known, have become the most important internet awards since their birth in 1996.

About 60 prizes are handed out to sites dedicated to topics as diverse as news, games, humour and spirituality.

In the news category, BBC News Online saw off allAfrica.com, Arts and Letters Daily, Debkafile and Poynter.org.

But in the television category, BBCi lost out to The Osbournes.

Five words

Each winner is allowed to make an acceptance speech of a mere five words.

Mike Smartt, editor-in-chief of BBC News Online, delivered the speech, saying: "Striving to report things fairly."

After the ceremony, Mr Smartt said of the award: "This is important international recognition for BBC News Online and reflects the organisation's continued and strong commitment to covering events first hand wherever they happen in the world."

Other winners were more tongue-in-cheek with their acceptance speeches.

The online magazine Salon.com, which won the Prints and Zines category, received their award with: "We know deep throat is..."

The search engine Google - another double winner with the Webby and the People's Voice award for Best Practices - dedicated its victory to the public: "This is yours - Google Users".

Connecting and building

"With more than 500 million people online today, we've reached a stage where the web is part of the fabric of our lives," said Maya Draisin, the executive director of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, the organisers of the Webbys.

"The 2002 nominees - both large and small - are setting the standards for the medium and transforming the way we live."

Tiffany Shlain, founder and director of The Webby Awards, said: "The 2002 nominees demonstrate that the web is really getting back to what it does best - connecting, building communities, entertaining, and enhancing everyday life."

Other winners include:

• Education: Exploratorium
• Music: Looplabs
• Sport: ESPN.com
• Travel: Lonely Planet Online