For the second year in a row, several web experts have come together to choose the best animated GIFs of the year. From artistic expressions to products of chance, a small animation lasting a couple of seconds can be as powerful as a full video. Today, we present some of the winners.
First, we must recognize that animated GIFs withstand the test of time like very few things. As long as the context is right, it’s likely that an animated GIF created years ago will fit perfectly. Relevance is just one of the many aspects to consider when looking for the best animated GIFs of the year, and this was made clear by the judges’ choice in the 2014 edition of the GIFYs awards. While there have been slight adjustments in the categories (WTF was replaced by Weird), the overall result remains the same. “Cats” and “Animals” are in separate categories, as are “Music” and “Art + Design”.
Why did I mention relevance before? Because the animated GIF of the year is none other than Obama on a skateboard, a creation dating back to 2012, when it was captured at the Nuclear Security Summit held in Seoul. Needless to say, Obama’s skateboard ride is fake, but it has fooled more than one, and that also deserves recognition in an animated GIF. The number one in Art and Design is a man swiping through women’s faces Tinder-style; the Nature and Science GIF shows what appears to be a magnet being absorbed into an iron-laden substance; and I think the Music category has a great winner with Maria from “The Sound of Music” firing machine guns.
This year’s GIFYs arrived a bit later than last year’s (they were handed out in early February), but that doesn’t change the fact that all the winners for 2014 are very interesting. Obviously, I imagine our readers can point to other animated GIFs that might be better, but that’s a natural conflict that arises in any competition organized on the web. We’ll see if next year’s GIFYs do justice.
Official site: thegifys.com
