Publishers from South America, Norway and the US are the overall winners in WAN-Ifra’s Digital Media Awards, announced today.

Entries for the worldwide competition are drawn from winners of the 2021 competitions in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, North America and South Asia, and were assessed by a different set of judges.

Showcasing best-practice innovation in digital publishing, the winners were honoured at the end of the second day of the virtual World News Media Congress.

Winners (with links) were:

Best Data Visualisation 

Agência Lupa, Brazil No Epicentro (At the epicenter) "Fantastic topic. Great narrative arc! – engages very much because the reader really gets engaged (my neighbourhood). And obviously, they understand their job and digital. My favourite," said one of our judges.

Best in Audience Engagement

Infoglobo, Brazil Coronavirus coverage without paywall “Special mention goes to illustrated guides – a simple and popular solution for impactful storytelling,” noted one judge.

Best Digital Marketing Campaign for News Brand

Verdens Gang AS, Norway "What the...."? "Powerful campaign, and I liked the playfulness of the social media versions, the Snapchat filter, etc. Clever to have a strapline that would be in everyday usage,” wrote one judge. Said another: “Great campaign – especially the broad multimedia approach. And the messaging aligns beautifully with tabloid media.”

Best Native Advertising / Branded Content Campaign

Forbes, USA Leading Small Businesses Through Uncertainty "The numbers are impressive, but the impact of this project on the target audience is really amazing! Edutainment at its best" said a judge.

Best News Website or Mobile Service

The Washington Post, USA Reimagining The Washington Post Reader Experience (pictured) “Live updates have never been more important, and The Washington Post's updated template is relevant and useful to the user,” commented one judge. “The visually attractive discover tab is a feather in The Washington Post's cap. A beautiful execution from a world-class team.” Noted another: "Impressed by tech – design clearly created towards much more engagement and helping users to prioritise. In regards to value for users, WP is already on a very high level in regards to the breadth of content and quality."

Best Paid Content Strategy (incl. pay wall, membership or crowdfunding models)

The Globe and Mail, Canada Fully dynamic, real-time, personalised paywall "An outstanding entry and it is brilliant to see that it exceeded expectations and goals by a significant margin. Congratulations!” wrote one judge. Noted another: "What Globe and Mail did is state of the art – absolute fantastic job. I appreciate most that The G&M permanently tested against the OLD paywall, so those results are really sustainable! Well done!”

Best Project for News Literacy

Asociación de Periodismo de Investigación Ojo Público, Peru Chequeos en lenguas “There is no way in which I can imagine this project being improved – other than organic improvements going forward,” stated a judge. "It also responds in an extremely creative way to the news literacy needs of a marginalised community, and in particular a marginalised community that news innovation projects have traditionally ignored. Congratulations."

Best Use of Online Video (including VR)

VGTV, Norway Tarjei's experiment “Truly a ‘modern documentary for an online audience.’ The hour-long documentary dissected into online/mobile-friendly episodes retains user interest and is fit for purpose,” wrote one judge. “Tarjei is a compelling protagonist whose story was handled with compassion and care by the talented editorial team.”