The winners were announced in late June, this year, at WAN-IFRA’s World News Media Congress in Taipei, Taiwan. The report delves deeper into each case, hearing from the respective leaders of each media company to chart their approaches, strategies, teamwork, outcomes and updates on the projects.
The report, “Best Practice in Innovation,” is available for WAN-IFRA Members to download for free. If you are a non-member and interested in the report or joining WAN-IFRA, contact: customerservice@wan-ifra.org.
“One of WAN-IFRA’s key commitments to our members and the industry is to shine a bright light on best practices and innovation from all corners of the globe,” said Vincent Peyrègne, WAN-IFRA’s CEO. “We strive to do that daily in the case studies we present on our content platforms, at numerous regional and global events, and other initiatives. Ultimately, we celebrate much of that innovation in our Digital Media Awards regionally and globally. This report is a concise showcase of the nine Worldwide winners, detailing the strategies behind their different initiatives or ongoing innovations, how it all resonated with their audiences in terms of engagement and real results, and what it has meant to the respective organisations today and going forward.”
In 2023, WAN-IFRA attracted nearly 700 entries to its regional awards competitions. The winners of awards in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and South Asia determine the finalists for the Worldwide competition. Those finalists are judged by an international jury of media professionals, experts, and analysts, who decide on the nine winners for Digital Media Awards Worldwide in each category.
The report covers the following winners:
Best Digital Subscription Initiative: Moving from a metered to a smart paywall Clarín, Argentina
Best Data Visualisation: Life in Hong Kong’s Shoebox Housing, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong
Best News Website: The Leading Site Covering Health, Medicine, and Science, STAT, US
Best in Audience Engagement: How a birthday party in Minecraft made a massive impact on brand awareness, engagement and sales, Aftenposten Junior, Norway
Best Newsletter: Climate Coach, The Washington Post, USA
Best Podcast: The Outlaw Ocean Podcast, The Outlaw Ocean Project, USA
Best Paper Concept: New NPG e-paper product, NPG Digital, German
Best Trust Initiative: Legit.ng Media Literacy Campaign, Legit Media Group, Nigeria
Best Use of Video: WATCH | DOCUMENTARY: Killed For Being Queer, News24/ Media24, South Africa
“Receiving this recognition not only validates our vision and convictions but also motivates us to continue striving for even greater challenges. Achieving these results is not the merit of a single person, but rather of a cross-functional organisation,” commented Clárin Chief Digital Officer Javier Kraviez when asked about what it has meant for the Argentinian media group – and its team – to win the Best Digital Subscription award in the Worldwide competition.
As a judge on the final competition and some of the regionals, WAN-IFRA Director of Insights Dean Roper added: “What always stands out to me is the passion, creativity and professionalism that exemplify the cream of the crop. Like News24 in South Africa with its documentary – which won Best Use of Video Worldwide – that helped to expose injustice in hate crime against the country’s LGBTQIA+.”
“We’re incredibly happy that it resonated with our audience and with the judges as an important body of work,” said Sharlene Rood, Multimedia Editor at News24. “It was important to us to give people a glimpse of the struggles the LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa faces daily.”
WAN-IFRA’s awards competition for 2024 is already underway. This year, there are two new categories in the Worldwide awards focused on AI – one for Best Use in Newsrooms and another for Best Use for Revenue Strategy. If your company is interested in applying for the regional awards, stay tuned here for the competition in your area.