The winners of the 12th annual Webby Awards, the online equivalent of the Oscars, have been announced after a record turnout of sites and voters.

Comedian Stephen Colbert won the coveted 'Person of the Year' award, and the BBC won three awards.

BBC Worldservice.com won 'Best Radio Website', Radio One picked up 'Best Music Website' and BBC News won the 'People's Choice' award.

"It is fantastic to have received recognition from the international internet industry," said Sally Thompson, head of BBC World Service Future Media.

"The quality and creativity of the BBC World Service Future Media team has been acknowledged through the Webby Awards, the internet's most respected symbol of success, and we are thrilled to have won."

Other winners include Flickr, which won two awards for social networking, Transport for London, which won 'Best Government Site', and satire website Theonion.com, which picked up no fewer that seven gongs.

Overall British sites won 26 awards in the 119 categories.

"With nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 US states and over 60 countries worldwide, the 12th Annual Webby Awards is the biggest in our history and continues to be the leading international award honouring excellence on the internet," said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards.

"Your work truly represents the best of the web."