StairMaster, which markets and distributes Schwinn indoor group cycling bikes to health clubs, and marketing communications firm Pinckney Hugo Group, have received a prestigious award for the Schwinn ‘Class Tamer’ app.

The app gained an Outstanding Achievement Award in the sports category at the Interactive Media Awards, recognising that it “surpassed the basic standards of excellence that comprise the web’s most professional work”.

The app enables instructors to create and save ride playlists by accessing songs, playlists, albums and artists directly from iTunes. After a playlist is created, the instructor can input a set of commands, cueing notes, music tags and beats per minute for each song within the playlist.

“It was truly a collaborative effort to develop the premier music player for group exercise professionals,” said Merrill Richmond, vice president of sales and marketing at StairMaster. “It is a tool organised intuitively with large, easy-to-read fonts and controls to help them stay organised while they energise their classes.”

A number of criteria were considered in the award category, including design, usability, innovation in technical features, standards compliance and content. The Interactive Media Awards, which aims to recognise the best website designs in a multitude of categories, began in 2006.