Yahoo! UK & Ireland has announced the top ten best websites of 2004 and today launches a mini-site for the public to enjoy them - yahoo.co.uk/findoftheyear2004.

The year's top ten was chosen by a judging panel of independent experts, selected for their knowledge of the internet. The ten best sites were narrowed down from a shortlist selected throughout 2004 by the Yahoo! Search team. The top ten (in no particular order) are:

Eggbaconchipsandbeans - http://russelldavies.typepad.com/eggbaconchipsandbeans/
Derelict London - http://www.derelictlondon.com/
Ugliest Cars in Britain - http://www.uglycars.co.uk/
Your Amazing Brain - http://www.youramazingbrain.org/
Bill Bailey - http://www.bill-bailey.co.uk/
Gorilla Foundation - http://www.koko.org/
Timebank - http://www.timebank.org.uk/
Turning the Pages - http://www.bl.uk/collections/treasures/digitisation1.html
Weebl's Stuff - http://www.weebls-stuff.com/
World Wide Panorama - http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/wwp/index.html

Weird, wonderful and occasionally obscure, the ten winners are testament to the diversity of the web and the accessible, fun nature of Yahoo! Search's annual Finds of the Year. 2004's top ten includes Koko the gorilla doing sign language, the ugliest cars in Britain, a virtual version of Leonardo di Vinci's notebook, Bill Bailey's beard and a campaign for the preservation of the UK's caffs.

Internet users everywhere now have the annual challenge of choosing the People's Find of the Year. The top ten can be viewed and voted for at yahoo.co.uk/findoftheyear2004.

Salim Mitha, Director of Yahoo! Search, UK and Europe comments: 'Yahoo! Search aspires to track down the most creative, informative, funniest and even weirdest sites on the net. The impressive diversity of this year's winners certainly illustrates the depth and breadth of this essential life tool. The judging panel made some tough decisions to shortlist the best of the web and now it's the public's turn'

Bobby Macaulay, 16, 2003 Yahoo! Finds Of the Year winner comments: "The quality of websites on offer this year amazed me and so did the ability to find them. Yahoo! Search managed this with fantastic results as shown by the breadth of websites featured in the final ten. This is a totally interactive website competition which accommodates all tastes to the max!"

For further information, contact the Yahoo! Search Press Office on 0207 684 6969

Notes to editors:

* Yahoo! UK & Ireland has up to 15million users
* Yahoo! Search's Finds Of The Year have been awarded annually since 2002
* Please quote Yahoo! Search as the source of the year's top ten websites


Judging Criteria:

1. The Wow! Factor: How original, quirky, creative, interesting and inspirational is the site's content?
2. Site Functionality: Is the site fully working, with no broken links?
3. Design: How easy is the site to use and navigate?
4. Relevance: How relevant is the site to the British people?


Judging Panel:

* Bobby Macaulay, Winner of Yahoo! Search Finds of the Year 2003, Best Community Website
* Tricia Phillips, Daily Mirror, Editor of Carol Vorderman's Internet pages
* Jonathan Goddard, Metro, Technology Editor
* Gary Broughton, FHM.com, Acting Editor
* Salim Mitha, Director of Search, Yahoo! UK & Ireland

- Ends -

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