templatedata

What kind of credibility do these "awards" expect to have when their "Gold Medal" goes to a site that has:

• HTML with 106 validation errors
• CSS with over 20 validation errors
• WAI automated tests showing numerous failures

Hardly something to aspire to.

I did try to find some criteria upon which the awards were based (as web standards obviously wasn't one of them), but it was to no avail :-(

Considering the nature of the organisation (CASE) I guess they are looking at it from a more marketing/communications stance. Still, I appreciate your point. There is a point of view that University websites should be standards-based and as close to total accesibility adherence as possible. Perhaps are some are moving away from this idea.

If the criteria are based on marketing/communications, they must only want to market and communicate to people without disabilities ( ... and those who use browsers which support their particular "type" of HTML).

That's their prerogative. However, while invalid HTML isn't against the law (though it should be ;^), non-compliance with basic WAI guidelines is discriminatory and can breach the Disability Discrimination Act (and similar laws in the US and UK). Therefore it can cost you money - just ask SOCOG.

I'm a firm believer that all websites should aim to be standards compliant. Call me a pedant but an "HTML document" that doesn't parse against the DTD, just isn't HTML. Complying with the standards is not that hard and usually saves time in the longer term. Furthermore, by complying with the standard, you also go a long way towards meeting the most basic WAI Guidlines.

To move away from trying to achieve this would show very bad judgement.

I don't think you're a pedant Mark, I think you have made very good points. I don't think any university can afford to risk alienating some parts of their audience, both in terms of reputation and in terms of financial concerns. Again, ask SOCOG.

Perhaps in this case the marketeers won over the standards people. As you know, not every website goes as according to plan and designs are sometimes changed for spurious reasons.