I’d like to invite you to review the official shortlist of the inaugural Information is Beautiful Awards.

Our global contest is out to showcase excellence in data visualization and infographics. I think the list shows off some of the best work of the last year.

Over 1,000 entries from 16 countries were agonizingly whittled down to a 300 strong longlist. (It makes a great browse if you’re looking for inspiration or to trawl trends).

Big thanks to everyone who entered and supported. Such a great honour to see so much flourishing creativity in one place.

Then, with much toil and heartache, we managed to boil down each of the six categories to a shortlist – of the best, most representative, most emblematic and most excellent work.

See for yourself

» Data visualization – A singular visualisation of data or information.

» Infographic – Using multiple data visualisations in service to a theme or story

» Interactive visualization – Any viz where you can dynamically filter or explore the data.

» Data journalism – A combination of text and visualizations in a journalistic format.

» Motion infographic – Moving and animated visualizations along a theme or story.

» Tool or website – Online tools & apps to aid datavizzing.

what happens next?

Right now, our awesome judges – including legendary artist Brian Eno, MoMA curator, Paola Antonell and myself – are reviewing the work and making their selections.

Alongside our beloved sponsors Kantar, we’ll be announcing the winners at a ceremony in London on September 27th and giving away $30,000 in prize money.