These awards are open to companies and entities of the press and the media that actively operate in the industry in the region. Nominations must be prepared and entered by the media organization, a representative of the organization, an advertising agency or public relations firm on behalf of the company.
Best News Website*
Entries must demonstrate combined excellence in content and UX, as well as value to readers and advertisers. Innovative design, intuitive customer journey, the use of multimedia (such as audio, video, infographics, photography, etc) to better tell the story, speed of access, and the service’s overall contribution to revenue goals, such as ‘premium’ sections, will also be taken into consideration.
Best Use of Video*
Entries should demonstrate an ability to relate a story in a concise and objective way and improve the reader experience and engagement online with the news brand. There should be consideration of the appropriate online video format for specific platforms (e.g. Facebook vs YouTube). The technical quality of the shooting and realization as well as the possible emotional and aesthetic impact of the video will also be taken into consideration.
Best Data Visualisation*
Entries should demonstrate excellence in design, usefulness and clarity of information conveyed, in the context of (for example) breaking news, information, entertainment or data-driven visual storytelling. Special attention will be paid to creativity and visual impact, as well as the effectiveness on mobile devices.
Best Digital Subscription Initiative*
This category recognizes projects by publishers that are aimed at increasing the subscriber base for the digital product, for paid and/or free users. Entries should demonstrate real results and metrics, an understanding of brand strengths, clarity for the reader or customer, and an effective call to action. Entries should provide evidence of solid conversion and/or retention results.
Best Newsletter*
This category is open to companies that have successfully included newsletters as a part of their editorial offering. The newsletter should have carefully tailored content serving a specific purpose, a user-friendly interaction, a coherent design, an original editorial angle and format, and measurable audience results in terms of growth and engagement.
Best in Audience Engagement*
Entries should demonstrate an original offering that measurably grows user engagement, and actively reflects the voice and tone of the news brand. Entries should provide evidence of an audience spending more time with the brand’s content, or converting from social platforms to their own platforms.
Best Podcast*
This category looks for innovative podcast initiatives to tell the news. Entries must demonstrate mastery of the format, strong quality of execution, added value to the listeners, and a measurable loyal audience.
Best ePaper-Concept*
The ePaper versions of newspapers all around the world find more and more subscribers. The print-digital mixture contributes significantly to revenues. But is an ePaper just putting your PDF file in the web? Or are there more creative concepts? Entries for this category should show additional value to the pages (like more current news than in the printed version), interactive use of the ePaper, marketing concepts, availability on other platforms, or special accessibility like read-out features.
Best Trust Initiative*
This category is open to publishers who have come up with initiatives to inform readers of the misinformation in society and verify the stories through fact-checking tools. The initiatives can be special products or new sections addressing information needs that enhance the trust in the publisher’s brand. Entries should demonstrate how information gaps in society were addressed, innovative use of resources, and smart planning to quickly meet the challenges posed by the crisis.
Best Native Advertising / Sponsored Content
CampaignEntries should demonstrate added value to readers/users via excellence in content marketing across multiple platforms. Entries will be measured on creativity, effective use of each media platform, brand voice, and providing the best user experience in a post-ad blocking media environment.
Best Lifestyle or Sports Site
This category is open to lifestyle, entertainment, or sports products, including websites, mobile sites, apps, microsites, or dedicated verticals. Entries must demonstrate a strong quality in content, consistency in UX, and added value for readers and clients. Innovative design, multimedia to improve the narrative, ease of navigation, site speed and the overall distribution of the information will be taken into consideration.
Best Journalism Project
This category is open to digital-specific editorial projects or microsites covering a current social reality in North America, Central America, and South America, including or combining strong storytelling elements. The use of digital formats, the project’s reach and social impact, and its journalism quality will be evaluated.
*Winners of these categories immediately qualify to compete with the various winners of the regional competitions (Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia-Pacific, North America, and Southeast Asia) in the Global Digital Media Awards.