Source: Hearst

Manilla Wins the Webby Award and the People's Voice Award for Best Banking/Bill Paying Website

Manilla Sweeps Banking/Bill Paying Category in the 16th Annual Webby Awards

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - May 2, 2012) - In one of the most hotly contested categories of the 16th Annual Webby Awards, Manilla, the free service that allows users to manage their bills and accounts online and on their mobile devices, has won both the Webby and People's Voice awards for Best Banking/Bill Paying Website. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) names the winners of the Webby Awards, and the People's Voice Award is determined by votes from the global web community.

"Everyone likes validation and encouragement," Manilla CEO George Kliavkoff said. "At Manilla, we take user feedback very seriously, and nothing excites us more than to win the industry's highest accolade. We're honored that both the IADAS and voters from around the world have recognized the power of the Manilla platform."

The victory not only cements Manilla as the life management tool of choice for some of the web's most influential tastemakers, but it also represents another milestone in the company's growing list of achievements. The People's Voice victory signals an increasing acceptance of tools like Manilla, which can be used to reduce clutter, save time and energy, and manage the accounts and services that matter most to a consumer's daily life from one central location.

"The Webby Awards honors the very best of the Internet," said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards. "Manilla's achievement is a testament to the skill, ingenuity and vision of its creators."

Manilla is a free personal bill and account management service that automatically aggregates customers' balances, bills, statements and other documents from all of their household service providers behind a single password. Manilla reminds its customers to pay their bills, renew their subscriptions and use their daily deals and airline miles before they expire. Manilla also replaces its customers' filing cabinets by offering lifetime storage of their account documents for free.

Manilla will be honored at the star-studded, live online broadcast of the Webby Awards from New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on Monday, May 21. The following day, fans will be able to watch the Webby Awards, including Manilla's 5-word speech, at www.webbyawards.com and the Webby Awards Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards. A full list of both Webby Awards and People's Voice Awards winners can be found at: www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=16

Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, the Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including websites, interactive advertising and media, online film and video, and mobile and apps. The Webby Awards is presented by the IADAS, a 750-person judging academy whose members include Martha Stewart, Darren Aronofsky, R/GA's Chief Bob Greenberg, David Bowie, Arianna Huffington and Twitter's Biz Stone.

The 16th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 1.5 million votes cast from more than 200 countries.

Founded in 1996, the Webby Awards is known worldwide for its famous 5-word speech limit. Past Webby Award winners -- and their speeches -- include Al Gore ("Please don't recount this vote"), Beastie Boys ("Can anyone fix my computer?"), and Stephen Colbert ("Me. Me. Me. Me. Me."). Manilla will crowdsource its acceptance speech by choosing from the best customer-submitted entry (learn more at https://www.manilla.com/blog/behind-manilla/the-people-and-experts-have-spoken-manilla-snags-two-2012-webbys/).

About Manilla:
Manilla organizes and simplifies people's lives by providing one secure access point to all household accounts and services. The free service helps consumers manage their household accounts, including financial, utilities, subscriptions and travel rewards programs, all through Manilla.com or via the Manilla mobile apps. Under a single password, Manilla gives customers an automated, organized view of all of their account information, text and email reminders to pay bills, and unlimited storage of account documents that Manilla seamlessly retrieves.

Manilla is a company incubated within and backed by the Hearst Corporation, one of the most diversified private media companies in the world, and is led by an executive team of experts and innovators from the finance, technology and consumer products industries. Manilla was named one of Time Inc.'s "10 NYC Startups to Watch in 2011." For more information, please visit www.Manilla.com.

About the Webby Awards:
Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, the Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including websites, interactive advertising and media, online film and video, and mobile and apps. Established in 1996, the 15th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and more than 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of the Webby Awards include: AOL, Aquent, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Ford, Dentyne, Facebook, MLB Advanced Media, Rackspace Hosting, LBi, Buddy Media, YouTube, HP, USA Today, Business Insider, 2advanced.Net, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Time Out New York and Guardian News and Media.

Contact Information:

Contact:
Dorothy Jean
212-677-4835 x.12
manillapr@brewpr.com