An Awwwards submission is scored by at least 18 jury members on four weighted criteria: Design 40%, Usability 30%, Creativity 20% and Content 10%. A jury score of 6.5 out of 10 or more earns an Honorable Mention, and the top-scoring site of the day becomes Site of the Day.
Updated 12 October 2026. By Alexis Chân Gridel, founder of Ecrin Digital and member of the Awwwards Young Jury 2026.
"Awwwards-level" has become a standard line in website briefs, usually without a definition. Yet Awwwards publishes its rules. As a member of the 2026 Young Jury, and having worked on awarded sites (hear.ai: Awwwards Honorable Mention and CSS Winner Site of the Day; ecrin.digital: CSS Winner STAR and CSS Design Awards Special Kudos), here is what that level actually means, and what it costs.
How the Awwwards jury scores a site
| Item | Official rule |
|---|---|
| Criteria | Design 40%, Usability 30%, Creativity 20%, Content 10% |
| Jury | At least 18 jury members per site |
| Outliers | The 3 scores furthest from the average are dropped automatically |
| Voting window | 5 days |
| Honorable Mention | Jury score of 6.5 or more |
| Developer Award | Technical score above 7 |
| Templates | Sites built with pre-made templates are not accepted (Awwwards FAQ) |
Two practical consequences. Because outliers are dropped, you do not win by thrilling one juror: you win when no juror finds a reason to mark you down. And because Usability weighs 30%, a spectacular but slow or confusing site loses to a calmer, flawless one.
What jurors look at
Design (40%). Visual hierarchy, typography, a design system that holds on every page, not just the homepage, and the micro-details: hover states, spacing rhythm, transitions.
Usability (30%). Is the site understood without instructions? Does it load fast? Is it flawless on mobile? Does the scroll stay smooth under animation? This is where most ambitious sites lose their award.
Creativity (20%). An idea that belongs to the project, not a trend applied on top. 3D and motion must serve the brand's story.
Content (10%). Clear copy, a real story, quality visuals. Lighter weight, but often the tie-breaker.
The technical ingredients
| Ingredient | Common tools | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Framework | Astro, Next.js | Performance, server rendering, SEO |
| Motion | GSAP, Motion | Transitions, scroll, micro-interactions |
| Smooth scroll | Lenis | Precision and fluidity |
| 3D and WebGL | Three.js, React Three Fiber, shaders | Interactive scenes, materials, light |
| CMS | Sanity | Content autonomy for the team |
| Hosting | Vercel | Global speed, instant deployments |
This level calls for custom code: Awwwards excludes pre-made templates, and full freedom over motion and 3D is hard to get any other way.
What does an Awwwards-level website cost?
The best-known creative studios mostly work with established brands, and high-end custom development can exceed €30,000 according to Wix (June 2026); the most ambitious immersive sites go far beyond that. An independent studio can reach the same finish on a startup budget by focusing effort on the pages and moments that matter.
| Project | Scope | Timeline | Ecrin Digital price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch Sprint, focused | A focused site or launch page, custom art direction and motion | usually 6 to 12 weeks | from €6,000 excl. VAT |
| Launch Sprint, full | Full interactive site, design system, CMS, technical SEO, custom 3D | usually 6 to 12 weeks | up to €20,000 excl. VAT |
| Engineering Retainer | Ongoing engineering after launch | monthly | €3,000 a month |
Real benchmark: the Viewz website, for an AI finance platform that raised $7M, shipped in 4 weeks with a 5/5 CMO review on Clutch. See also the hear.ai case study.
How long does it take?
An example flow for a tightly scoped full site (five weeks):
- Week 1: art direction. References, typography, palette, signature moment.
- Weeks 2 and 3: design and motion prototypes. All pages, desktop and mobile, key animations tested early.
- Weeks 3 and 4: development. Build, 3D, CMS, performance.
- Week 5: polish and QA. Details, smoothness, real-device testing, accessibility, SEO.
Then submission: voting lasts 5 days and results follow shortly after.
Awwwards, CSS Design Awards or FWA?
Awwwards is not the only award that matters, and the three main programs reward slightly different things. A useful strategy for a startup site is to submit to more than one.
| Award | What it rewards | Key thresholds | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awwwards | Polished, production-quality sites | Honorable Mention at a 6.5 jury score; Developer Award above 7 | The industry reference for clients and talent |
| CSS Design Awards | UI, UX and innovation | Website of the Day above an 8.00 average; Special Kudos from 6.0 to 7.99 (Utsubo, March 2026) | A first award; separate Solo, Studio and Agency categories at year end |
| FWA | Bold, experimental work | Large judging panel of 500+ members (Utsubo, March 2026) | Experimental 3D and interaction |
In practice, a site that is fast, coherent on every page and built around one strong idea tends to perform across all three. That is how ecrin.digital earned both a CSS Winner STAR and a CSS Design Awards Special Kudos.
Before you brief a studio: a five-point checklist
- Name one signature moment. A hero scene, a product reveal, a transition: one idea the whole site is built around.
- Share your real content early. Copy and visuals shape the design; placeholder text produces generic layouts.
- Set a performance budget. Agree on mobile targets before design starts, not after.
- Decide who edits the site. A CMS like Sanity keeps your team autonomous after launch.
- Ask for the repository. Your award-level site should belong to you.
Mistakes that cost an award
- Neglecting mobile.
- Trading speed for effects: optimise textures, 3D models and fonts from day one.
- Polishing the homepage and rushing the rest: jurors browse the whole site.
- Copying this season's trend.
- Generic copy.
Why it matters commercially
An award brings credibility with clients and investors, quality backlinks from reference sites, and a strong hiring signal. Above all, the jury's criteria (design, usability, content) are exactly what makes a website convert. If you want a site at this level, tell us about your project.
Frequently asked questions
How does Awwwards score a website? At least 18 jury members score it on Design 40%, Usability 30%, Creativity 20% and Content 10%. The 3 scores furthest from the average are dropped and voting lasts 5 days.
What score do you need for an Awwwards Honorable Mention? A jury score of 6.5 out of 10 or more, according to Awwwards' official evaluation page.
How much does an Awwwards-level website cost? At Ecrin Digital, a Launch Sprint runs from €6,000 for a focused site to €20,000 for a full interactive build with custom 3D and motion, excluding VAT. Large creative studios usually work with much bigger budgets.
Can a template or no-code site win on Awwwards? Awwwards does not accept sites built with pre-made templates; design and development must be created by the submitting team.
Which studios build Awwwards-level websites for startups in France? Immersive Garden, makemepulse and Merci-Michel lead large immersive projects; Ecrin Digital, whose founder sits on the Awwwards Young Jury 2026, focuses on startups.
