Previously Healthy from Beyond Type 1 Named People's Voice Award Winner in the 23rd Annual Webby Awards

SAN CARLOS, Calif., April 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Global diabetes nonprofit Beyond Type 1 has been awarded the People's Voice Award for Best Writing (Editorial) in the 23rd Annual Webby Awards for the project Previously Healthy. Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor", The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) honoring excellence on the Internet.

Over recent weeks, the public has had an opportunity to cast their votes among Webby nominees for the People's Voice Award. Thanks to an outpouring of support from the Beyond Type 1 community, Previously Healthy received this top honor.

Written by Michelle Boise, Previously Healthy is a longform, multimedia piece of journalism that examines the preventable death of Reegan Oxendine from a missed diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes. Historically, this award has almost exclusively included nominations for major media companies - in fact, NPR is the only other nonprofit organization to have received a nomination since the category was added in 2012. Beyond Type 1 was nominated for the 2019 award alongside work from The New Yorker, BBC Future, The Guardian, and The Intercept.

Beyond Type 1 is grateful to everyone who voted and shared, including support from Co-founders Nick Jonas and Sam Talbot, Council Members Victor Garber, Crystal Bowersox, Ryan Reed, and Jennifer Stone, among many others. Individuals, organizations, and publishers in the diabetes community united to help make this People's Voice Award a reality.

"Type 1 diabetes is an often misunderstood disease. In some instances, such as Reegan's case, that same lack of knowledge about the disease and its warning signs proved fatal," said Beyond Type 1 CEO Thom Scher. "Previously Healthy was created to honor one family's story, but more importantly to raise awareness in a unique way. Previously Healthy was developed to reach beyond our organization's community, to capitalize on the way that this type of editorial storytelling can reach a global audience."

Michelle Boise, the author of Previously Healthy said, "This was a difficult story to tell, but an important one. We knew from hearing community stories that many people were sick at diagnosis or had lost loved ones to diabetes. We didn't just want to share the warning signs ... We wanted to also share the human story, what it meant to an entire community to lose this little girl and how they bonded together to enact change."

Previously Healthy is the result of days of interviews, over 500 pages of medical records, and more than a year of work. Told through text, video, and photos, this piece represents a unique and novel approach to awareness through storytelling by a nonprofit organization. In addition to author Michelle Boise, Previously Healthy was created with creative direction and web design by Sara Jensen, web development by Thor Jensen, and photography and videography by Casey Sjogren. Explore the story at previouslyhealthy.org.

"We're so honored to receive the People's Voice Award Webby and to know that Previously Healthy has made a potentially life-saving impact," said Scher.

Webby Award Winners will be honored at a star-studded ceremony on Monday, May 13, 2019, at Cipriani on Wall Street in New York City.

About Beyond Type 1

Beyond Type 1 is a nonprofit organization changing what it means to live with diabetes. Through platforms, programs, resources, and grants, Beyond Type 1 is uniting the global diabetes community and providing solutions to improve lives today. Founded in 2015 with a focus on education, advocacy and the path to a cure for Type 1 diabetes, Beyond Type 1 has grown to also include programs for those with Type 2 diabetes. A new model of philanthropy, Beyond Type 1 aims to change what it means to live with chronic illness.

About The Webby Awards

Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps, Mobile, and Voice, Social, Podcasts, and Games. Established in 1996, this year's Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide this year. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: YouTube, WP Engine, EY, YouGov, Vitamin T, WNYC Studios, Fast Company, ESA, Product Hunt, and Social Media Week.

Media Contact
Dana Howe ? Director of Brand Communications, Beyond Type 1
[email protected]

SOURCE Beyond Type 1