The Awards, organised by WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is in its 16th year and was launched to recognise news media organisations that are leaders and innovators in the adoption of digital media strategies as news consumption transitioned from print to online.
This year’s contest was especially competitive with 193 entries. The winners were presented with their coveted trophies at the Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre on Wednesday night during an awards ceremony which was organised as part of the Digital Media Asia conference, Asia-Pacific’s largest regional digital news media event.
SPH Media won five Gold and four Silvers whereas Mediacorp, also Singapore-based, emerged with the next most number of awards with one Gold and three Silvers.
In this year’s competition, we are encouraged to see smaller media companies demonstrating exceptional creativity, capability and skill. Kumparan, The Daily Aus, and VietnamPlus all stood shoulder-to-shoulder with their larger peers and in fact beat their larger counterparts to clinch the overall Gold and Silver awards in their respective categories. This achievement reinforces the spirit of the awards and celebrates innovation and excellence regardless of resources.
This year’s competition also saw first-time winners in The Daily Aus and VietnamPlus. Kudos to all participants and congratulations to the winners!
WINNERS
For the full list of winners, visit https://wan-ifra.org/events/asian-digital-media-awards/?pagetype=special
Best News Website
- Gold Winner – How food diary videos on social media can impact your body image by SPH Media The Straits Times
- Silver Winner – Bear attacks are rising in Japan. Aging hunters are on the frontlines by Reuters (Singapore)
- Winner – small/medium media category –Microsite on Pope Francis’ State Visit to Singapore by ASIAONE ONLINE
Best Lifestyle or Sports Site
- Gold Winner – An inside look into kitefoiler Max Maeder’s Olympic quest by SPH Media The Straits Times
- Silver Winner – Sounds of Singapore by SPH Media The Straits Times
- Winner – small/medium media category – kumparanBOLANITA by kumparan
Best Use of Video
- Gold Winner – Build Your Own News Influencer by CNA, Mediacorp
- Silver Winner – Serkap River Fishermen by kumparan
- Winner – small/medium media category – The Last Harvest by The Fourth
Best Data Visualisation
- Gold Winner – Drowning in plastic: The oceans’ growing constellations of trash by SPH Media The Straits Times
- Silver Winner – From pineapple to plastic: How playgrounds in Singapore have evolved by SPH Media The Straits Times
- Winner – small/medium media category – I’m Tired Of Running For The Last Train, We Need Better Night-time Transport by Our Grandfather Story
Best Newsletter
- Gold Winner – TDA Morning Newsletter by The Daily Aus
- Silver Winner – thrive by SPH Media, The Business Times
- Winner – small/medium media category – Bisnis Indonesia Group Newsletter by Bisnis Indonesia
Best Podcast
- Gold Winner – Green Trails – An audio trail bringing green issues alive by SPH Media, The Straits Times
- Joint-Silver Winner – Asian Tsunami Anniversary Special (Part 1 and 2) by CNA, Mediacorp
- Joint-Silver Winner – Why So Serious? by Mediacorp
- Winner – small/medium media category – theInsight by Znews
Best in Audience Engagement
- Gold Winner – 9-part Taylor Swift infographics that make up a giant poster by SPH Media, The Straits Times
- Silver Winner – Young Singaporeans Challenge: “How Well Do You Know” Series by SPH Media, HeyKaki
- Winner – small/medium media category – Revolutionising Youth Engagement in News by The Daily Aus
Best Digital Subscription/Reader Revenue Project
- Gold Winner – SCMP Plus by South China Morning Post
- Silver Winner – aiAssist: AI-embedded Newsroom, Centralizing Journalism Values by United Daily News Group
- Winner – small/medium media category – Premium Content by Bisnis Indonesia
Best Fact Checking Project
- Gold Winner – True or Not – TheStar.com.my by Star Media Group
- Silver Winner – AI-Powered Fact-Checking Lab by GMA Integrated News
- Winner – small/medium media category – What the Fuss: What you need to know about ERP2.0’s Onboard Unit (OBU) by ASIAONE ONLINE
Best Native Advertising / Sponsored Content Campaign
- Gold Winner – SCMP x Cathay Cargo: Very Important Pandas (VIPs) by South China Morning Post’s Morning Studio
- Silver Winner – Break the Silver Ceiling by Mediacorp Brand Studio
- Winner – small/medium media category – Supporting the Next Bound of Sports in Singapore: Beyond the Dream by ASIAONE ONLINE
Best Innovative Digital Product
- Gold Winner – IDN App by IDN
- Silver Winner – Historical storytelling with 3D interactive by VietnamPlus
- Winner – small/medium media category – The Literacy Festival by Bisnis Indonesia
Best Use of AI in Revenue Strategy
- Gold Winner – AI³: Advancing Ads, News & Platforms by United Daily News Group
- Silver Winner – AI-Assisted Content Classification Model for In-Depth Behavioural Analysis and Precise Ad Targeting by ASIAONE ONLINE
- There are no winner in the small / medium media category
Best Use of AI in the Newsroom
- Gold Winner – aiAssist: AI-embedded Newsroom, Centralizing Journalism Values by United Daily News Group
- Silver Winner – AI-assisted Social Listening for Impactful News Coverage: The East-West Line Disruption in September 2024 by ASIAONE ONLINE
- Winner – small/medium media category – Ringkasan AI (AI Summary) by Astro AWANI
CONTACT AND INQUIRIES
Wilson Leong, Operations Manager WAN-IFRA Asia Pacific. wilson.leong@wan-ifra.org. Tel: +65 8182 1709.
WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, is the global organisation of the world’s press. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media. We provide our members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society. It derives its authority from its global network of 3,000 news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 60 member publisher associations representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries.