Kim Kardashian West to receive Webby Award

11 May 2016

Kim Kardashian West is to receive a Break the Internet award.

Kim Kardashian West

The 35-year-old reality star - who has 69.6 million Instagram followers, 45 million Twitter followers, and a hugely successful mobile game, 'Kim Kardashians: Hollywood' - will be the first-ever recipient of the accolade at the annual Webby Awards on May 16 in recognition of her "bold and creative" use of online platforms.

Announcing the honour, Webby organisers said: "[The award is given] in recognition of her unprecedented success online and the bold and creative ways she has used the Internet, social media, apps and video to connect with a truly global audience."

Kim - who has children North, two, and Saint, five months, with husband Kanye West - is expected to receive her Webb from tech legend and Re/code founder Kara Swisher.

The 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' star joins her husband in being recognised at the awards, which have previously been described as the "Oscars of the Internet".

As was previously announced, Kanye, 38, will be named Webby Artist of the Year at the upcoming ceremony, which will take place at New York's Cipriani Wall Street, in recognition of the record-breaking streaming release of his latest album 'The Life of Pablo'.

The record was streamed 250 million times via Tidal in its first 10 days of release and later became the first album to top the Billboard 200 off of mostly streaming-equivalent LPs.

His award was announced at the same time as Webby Best Actress winner Krysten Ritter, who has been honoured because of her role in Netflix original series 'Marvel's Jessica Jones'.

Webby Awards' Executive Director David-Michel Davies said in a statement last week: "Kanye West and Krysten Ritter are two standouts who have successfully leveraged the immense influence and addictive elements of streaming media to drive innovation on the Internet."

Other winners at the 2016 Webby Awards will include Lena Dunham and Jennifer Konner, whose Lenny Letter newsletter has earned them a Special Achievement Prize, and HBO drama 'Game of Thrones', which will pick up Best Overall Social Presence.