Business News

UPM Forest Life wins prestigious international web award

Thursday 08. May 2008 - UPM's interactive, online experience, www.upmforestlife.com, has won the Webby Award in the Corporate Communications category. Known as the "Web Oscar", the Webby Award is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

With nearly 10,000 entries from more than 60 countries worldwide, the 12th Annual Webby Awards was the biggest in its history. Winners will be honored in New York City on June 10.

The UPM Forest Life website takes visitors on a walk through UPM’s forest in Finland. Visitors explore modern sustainable forestry practices in action, relax to the sounds of birds and babbling brooks, and discover the wonders of forest wildlife.

“We are not able to take all our customers and stakeholders to the forest to see how UPM operates or to show all the forest wildlife. Using the versatile, modern technology, we decided to bring the forest to their laptops,” explains Päivi Salpakivi-Salomaa, Director, Environmental Forestry Affairs. “We are very pleased about this recognition from web industry professionals.”

The website, planned and implemented by Finnish digital agency Valve Branding Ltd., has been a great success internationally with thousands of visitors from around the globe enjoying a stroll through the virtual forest.

“UPM Forest Life is a flexible base for environmental communication and its contents can be edited with topical themes when necessary,” describes Toni Laturi, Managing Director of Valve. “The website is built out of real environments and events to create as authentic an experience as possible for the visitor.”

Earlier recognitions for UPM Forest Life include the European Excellence Awards in two different categories. The site was also shortlisted in Cannes and London International Awards and won silver in EPICA. In Finland, the site was chosen as the Forest Act of the Year in 2007. In addition, UPM Forest Life has won two categories in Finnish Grand One competition.