The Webbys are the internet's most important awards event

It follows the site's triumph at last year's awards, when Webby judges voted it the winner in the news category.

The Webbys, as they are known, have become the most important internet awards since their birth in 1996.

Click here to see the full list of winners

Mike Smartt, BBC News Online's editor-in-chief, said he was delighted at the site's People's Voice Webby.

He said: "To be voted best by web users in such a remarkable year for news, on top of last year's judge's award, is doubly pleasing because they are the fiercest critics.

"It reflects outstanding work by the great team at BBC News Online."

The Webbys are given out in 31 categories by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences.

The categories cover topics as diverse as news, games, humour and spirituality.

They reward net innovation, hard work and the best that the web has to offer.

Winners this year came from a record 24 different countries.

Celebrations

Nasa won two awards winning in both the education and government categories.

Humour was won by Get Your War On, and the "weird" category was topped by British site Rathergood.

Rathergood features punk kittens on its site

Amazon won the commerce category, with Google winning news and Lonely Planet scooping travel.

As usual, the winners' acceptance speeches were limited to five words, which seemed to get the creative juices flowing.

Rathergood's was "thank God for little kittens" while Do-It-Yourself Networks accepted with the phrase: "Somewhere, a repairman gently weeps".

MoveOn.Org, which won in the politics category, said: "Won Webby, next beat Bush!", and ExploreMarsNow said: "Mars or bust. Preferably Mars".

The Flaming Lips, who won in the music category, managed to sneak in six words, saying: "First a Grammy, then a Webby."

BBC News Online's Smartt accepted the people's award with: "We'll meet again next year."

Finalists and fans from more than 80 countries and 900 US cities registered to join this year's ceremony online.

The awards are usually held in San Francisco, but moved online this year because many nominees were reluctant to fly over fears of terrorism and Sars.

An avatar representing Maya Draisin, the executive director of the academy, told the ceremony the decision to hold the ceremony in cyberspace was also in recognition of how "truly global" the web had become.

The majority of nominees for the awards are chosen by the 480 members of the academy which includes popstar David Bowie, net guru Vint Cerf and Simpsons creator Matt Groening.

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Webbys Awards - Full list of winners: