YouTube names first award winners

[Toon]

Video-sharing website YouTube has named the winners of its first annual awards.

US pop band OK Go won in the "most creative" category for a video featuring the performers on treadmills.

Comedy series Ask a Ninja, a video promoting a Free Hugs Campaign and a performance by singer Terra Naomi were among the winners in seven categories.

YouTube said the winners had "changed the landscape of how a 'star' is defined". A YouTube awards trophy is due to be unveiled at a later date.

'Most adorable'

Other winners were Thewinekone for best commentary, and double act Smosh for best comedy with their video of a man apparently stranded on a desert island.

The animation Kiwi! was named most adorable video.

OK Go frontman Damian Kulash told the AFP news agency: "It's incredible how quickly and completely YouTube is changing culture. We can't wait to get our trophy."

Success on the site has previously been defined largely by rankings of the most-viewed or most-discussed videos.

The award-winning videos are now gathered in a special section on the site.