A “fantastically forward thinking” Singaporean news site and “gripping” Kiwi video work caught the attention of global judges in WAN-Ifra’s Digital Media Awards Worldwide event.
The competition, which reviews winners from regional competitions, also had consolation for a Spanish publisher when the awards were announced at the World News Media Congress in Zaragoza.
Entries came from the Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and South Asia Digital Media competitions.
Judges found a lot to like with Mediacorp’s Channel News Asia website and app, naming it best news website or mobile service. It was created in a way “entirely compatible with mobile-first thinking”… using “a fantastically forward-thinking approach that should be a standard for the industry”, according to one judge, with others praising content snippets, the in-app experience, customisation options and “even just the pleasure in navigating around”.
New Zealand independent publisher Stuff was honoured for Stuff Circuit’s ‘Disordered’ online video. The “beautiful and gripping telling of an important national story” had “an almost languid pacing” while each segment kept viewers engaged enough to want to see “what happens next”.
Spain’s Diario de Prensa Digital was honoured for ‘Spain lives in flats: why we have built our cities vertically’ winning best data visualisation. The “visually and aesthetically stunning story” also provided “rich historic and geographic insight and context”, using a “beautifully executed” overlay of charts and text over maps that “function seamlessly”.
From the Philippines, GMA News Online won best in audience engagement for Dapat Totoo, with judges praising the campaign’s efforts to engage a younger audience with the election process, praising the “really imaginative approach, utilising the social media platforms of the generation”.
“This project isn’t just about engaging with a news brand but encouraging audiences to engage with the fundamental principles of democracy itself,” said one judge,” noting the “playful, multi-platform messaging, design and distribution” of the educational campaign.
Two awards with a bearing on engagement went to South Africa’s Daily Maverick: for best reader revenue initiative for Maverick Insider – described as “a fantastic solution” to the problem of getting people to pay for news in a less developed economy – and for best newsletter, First Thing by John Stupart, colourfully described as “going from being ‘a spark plug’ to ‘one of the wheels’”.
Both entries were praised for their longevity and continuous evolution, with Maverick Insider highlighting “the ongoing iterative effort which is at the heart of all digital success stories.
“Bringing in ecommerce offers and new partnerships was a smart way of showing the value of membership in tough economic times. Creating an expert database manages both to make readers feel like they are gaining something from membership but also helps to improve the title’s journalism,” said one judge, while another praised the use of data to better understand audiences.
“As a membership play, Maverick Insider is tapping the true definition of reader support: the members care for the product, understand the role they play in its future and are emotionally rather than transactionally involved in its ongoing success.”
Photo: WAN-Ifra/Asier Alkorta