A stunned Webmaster rises from his seat, shaking his head in disbelief. As he makes his way to the aisle, fellow programmers and designers pat him heartily on the back and shake his hand. After accepting his trophy from a cybercelebrity, he stands there speechless, and finally says with a trembling voice, "Mom, Dad, Mr. Spock ... this is for you." He air-kisses in the direction of his sponsors and exits stage left

Log on to www.webbyawards.com next week and you might just witness such a scene broadcast live on the Net (granted the details might be a tad fuzzy on your little RealPlayer screen).

The organizers of the Webby Awards, now in their third year, are billing their accolades as "the Oscars of the Internet." There are 110 nominees, chosen in 22 categories ranging from music, film and games to news, health and finance. The judges are a gaggle of big-name cyberwhatevers (David Bowie, Francis Coppola, Tina Brown, Guy Kawasaki ... R.U. Sirius, yeah I'm serious), and the ceremony will be held at the swanky Herbst Theater in San Francisco.