Canadian New Mediocrity Awards

It’s too good to be true: The Canadian New Media Awards, already a failed redesign, now announce their finalists for 2006.

The nominees are published on page that uses tables for layout and has three HTML validation errors. At that rate, it should be a nominee in its own awards show. Let’s fact-check some arses.

• cbc.ca/kidscbc: Flash (I did some work for them this year)
• kutoka: 31 errors (English) + tables
• wildfiles: 16 + tables
• shipwreckcentral: 45 + tables
• bitetv: 253 + tables
• zed.cbc.ca: Incorrect character encoding leading to failed validation + unavoidable CBC corporate tables (I did some work for them two years ago)
• canadiantapestry: Valid HTML ✓ – “HTML” version uses CSS layout (yes!), though with poor semantics
• ubiquityinteractive: 16 + tables + wrong encoding
• murmurtoronto: 47 + tables + no DOCTYPE, but this is probably Meslin’s doing
• jade.bioware.com: Flash
• protopop: Flash
• nextlevelgames: Incorrect character encoding leading to failed validation + tables
• careermeter.mohawkcollege.ca: Flash
• knowledgenetwork.ca/takingcare/splash.html (a splash page as an awards finalist?): 12 + tables + no DOCTYPE
• sortitout: 16 + tables
• cbc.ca/olympics: 32 errors (trying for XHTML Strict is rather unwise at CBC)
• ctv: 485 + tables
• stollerykids.com/Tour/: 2 + tables (lots of JavaScript)
• hotrocket: Flash
• shoptoit: 30 + tables
• vacuumsucks (truth in advertising): Flash
• webnames: 157 + tables + no DOCTYPE
• quickplay (nominated twice): 21 + tables + no character encoding
• i-mmersion: 9 + tables + no DOCTYPE
• blastradius: You have got to be fucking kidding. 95 + tables + decorative Flash
• elluminate: Valid HTML ✓ with poor semantics + tables
• gnwc: Splash page flunks usability test immediately and, true to legend, I left the site
• mainframe: Flash
• djostudios: Frames and tables (valid frame HTML, not that it matters) + absent character encoding
• adriancrook: 37 + tables
• tfo.org, my old friend: 48 + tables + no DOCTYPE
• bigbluebubble (nominated twice): 6 errors at a claimed XHTML 1.1 plus character-encoding mismatch and poor semantics
• rjworx: Flash
• raincitystudios: 4 errors in XHTML Strict (yes!)
• organic: 21 + tables
• tommyferlatte: 64 + tables + no DOCTYPE
• ecentricarts: Won’t load (and I know a guy there, even)
• nsmith: Tables for layout on a homepage that is nothing but a list of filenames (impressive); 142 errors + no DOCTYPE + no character encoding
• corwin: 6 + tables + no DOCTYPE
• marblemedia: Produces the sole response “Alternate HTML content should be placed here.This content requires the Macromedia Flash Player.Get Flash”

Only in Canada would sites this lousy be up for awards

To sum up:

• Ten sites use Flash (another does so decoratively)
• The nominated sites have 1,596 total validation errors
• 24 sites, all of them nominated for awards, use tables for layout in 2006. (One other uses tables for corporate branding but CSS elsewhere)
• Eight sites cannot cite a correct DOCTYPE (useful for browsers but not intrinsically fatal)
• Seven sites get character encoding wrong (an error-prone issue involving cascades between server and HTML, but nonetheless, easy to fix in a Web page)

And, of greatest interest:

• A mere two sites have valid HTML, one of which uses tables for layout (with one near-miss)

And the whole thing’s sponsored by the government through the Department of Canadian Heritage and Telefilm Canada. Your tax dollars at work.