Site Awards

J.K. Rowling's Fan Site Award: May 13, 2005

Jo Rowling said: “It is about the worst kept secret on this website that I am a huge fan of The Leaky Cauldron, which I have mentioned before now in News items. I have met one of its founders, Melissa, on two occasions; outside the Albert Hall before I did the reading for ‘Order of the Phoenix' and after the premiere for ‘Prisoner of Azkaban', and in a matter of mere months I will be talking to her properly as she will be coming over to Edinburgh to interview me on publication weekend.

‘Leaky', as it is affectionately known to its many fans, is a wonderfully well designed mine of accurate information on all things Harry Potter. It also attracts a lot of knowledgeable and entertaining debate. So to Melissa, B.K., Kristen, Sue, John, Nick and Natalie, congratulations and thank you! And Heidi... thank you very much for the present for Mackenzie... she wears it often!

Entertainment Weekly's “Best of the Web” and “Essential Fan Site” List

In their list of the Top 25 Essential Fan Sites (in the print edition, “Top 25 Best of the Web”), Entertainment Weekly called Leaky in at number two, saying: “What You'll Find: ''Leaky,'' as it is affectionately known, is a fanatically detailed almanac of all things Potter. In addition to the latest 411, standout features include PotterCast (a podcast showcasing the people who worked on the movies and books), a Chamber of Chat role-playing game, and the ''Ask Peeves'' search engine. Fans can also submit their own essays or post instructions on how to produce various Potter crafts such as a hand-carved wand and a Mirror of Erised mural. (C'mon, you know you need it.)

Why It's Essential: Its accuracy and thoroughness have earned Leaky the respect of both J.K. Rowling ” who has called it ''my favorite fansite'' and even given it a rare interview ” and Warner Bros., which singled it out for an exclusive set visit.

The 2006 People's Voice Webby Award: May 9, 2006

On May 9, The Leaky Cauldron was awarded the 2006 People's Voice Webby for Celebrity/Fan Site, in the 10th Annual Webby Awards, the honor that is considered the “Oscars of the Internet.” At 24 hours before the polls closed, Harry Potter fans had cast so many votes for Leaky that it had more than 65 percent of the total, even in a category which contained music mogul Prince, the Grateful Dead, and many more luminaries. Leaky accepted the award at the gala event in New York City on June 12, 2006; the Webbys mandate a five-word acceptance speech, and Leaky's was, “Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Rowling.”

Pictures of the event are here, and a report is on PotterCast.com here.

Yahoo! Search Find of the Year People's Choice Award: February 1, 2006

Leaky won this award on Feb. 1, 2006, after being shortlisted by a panel of judges. In a press release, Andy Williams of Yahoo! said, “The People's Choice award gives the nation a chance to have their say and the overwhelming popularity of The Leaky Cauldron shows that Harry Potter fever remains strong, even though the first book was published almost 10 years ago. It's a well designed and comprehensive site that has won the approval of Potter fans everywhere.”

The Lovemark: April 6, 2005


Leaky was first nominated for this on April 6 by our reader Janet. A lovemark is a unique award in which people vote for the things they really love – anything they really love. You can visit our Lovemark page to add your mark, and to add a testimony to the growing list of wonderful messages from wonderful readers. As Janet's citation was the first, hers is the one we'll post here:

“I love The Leaky Cauldron because it's not just a website, it's a whole community of people banded together to share their love for the Harry Potter book series. Not only does it provide a wealth of information and the latest news, it also provides a home for Potterites to meet and discuss HP. As part of The Floo Network, Leaky has links to a Lexicon, a Photo Gallery, and quotes.

Last year TLC's fans sent them $12,000 in less than 24 hours for a new server that will help them stay in business a very long time. The Leaky Cauldron sponsors an annual charity drive for Book Aid International, a charity that supplies children around the world with books. Harry Potter fans, through The Leaky Cauldron, are responsible for purchasing more than 13,000 books -$30,000 – in the last two years.”

The Golden Broomstick Award: December, 2002

The Golden Broomstick Award, bestowed by Finnish Harry Potter fan site, HP-Fanit in December, 2002. Citation:

The last Golden Broomstick award in 2002 will fly away to the amaizing team at The Leaky Cauldron. Thanks to them, we did have a possibility to get the 93 words from the fifth Potter book, but someone just had more money than Leaky. But at least TLC tried, we tried. And we can't forget that because of Leaky, Book Aid International is getting now loads of money.

The Leaky Cauldron is anyway one of the best Potter sites, having the fastest and being the most reliable news source on the net. During recent weeks, they have worked until the dawn, and just to make Potter fanatics go crazy. I think the Golden Broomstick needs no more reasons to fly its way to Leaky. Keep it going, Leaky!





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.