News Corp’s The Weekend Australian was crowned as the 2018 News Brand of the Year at this year’s News Media Awards. For the first time in the event’s history the awards night combined the former PANPA Newspaper of the Year Awards and the Advertising and Marketing Awards.
The Weekend Australian also took out the Weekend News Brand of the Year. The New Zealand Herald won Daily News Brand of the Year, while the Northern Territory News won Regional News Brand of the Year. The Gympie Times was the Community News Brand of the Year.
Michelle Gunn
More than 400 people attended the awards ceremony at the Hilton Sydney on the evening of September 14. The Chaser’s Craig Reucassel and Andrew Hansen were again the emcees for the evening. The event took place at the conclusion of the annual INFORM News Media Summit.
News media publishers from Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific submitted more than 500 entries for the seven categories in the 2018 awards. The awards recognise excellence in cross-platform news publishing, reflected in categories covering Advertising, Marketing, Technical, Product Innovation, Executive Excellence, Photography and the overall News Brand awards.
“I would like to congratulate all this year’s News Media Awards winners and acknowledge the incredibly high standard of the region’s publishers and their brands and people. The winning entries demonstrated that our region’s publishing excellence is of a world-class standard,” said NewsMediaWorks CEO Peter Miller.
“Our newly rebranded News Media Awards are now in their 49th year and recognised as the region’s pre-eminent awards in the news media industry. The new-look awards reflect the changing nature of news brands to meet the needs of advertisers and readers, where trust to provide quality, credible journalism is critical to their success.”
The News Media Awards were sponsored by Media Super, Norske Skog, AAP, DIC and UnLtd.
COMMUNITY NEWS BRAND OF THE YEAR
The Weekend Australian, News Corp Australia
REGIONAL NEWS BRAND OF THE YEAR
The Gympie Times, News Corp Australia
DAILY NEWS BRAND OF THE YEAR
NT News, News Corp Australia
WEEKEND NEWS BRAND OF THE YEAR
The New Zealand Herald, NZME
NEWS STORY OF THE YEAR
The Weekend Australian, News Corp Australia
China’s Operation Australia, Nick McKenzie, Richard Baker, The Age, Fairfax Media
ADVERTISING
BEST EXECUTION OF PRINT ADVERTISING FOR A CLIENT
COMMUNITY
7 Bridges Walk and help beat Cancer, Cancer Council of NSW, North Shore Times, News Corp Australia
REGIONAL
The Examiner 175, The Examiner, Fairfax Media
NATIONAL/METRO
Women in Leadership, Westpac, The New Zealand Herald, NZME
BEST EXECUTION OF DIGITAL ADVERTISING FOR A CLIENT
COMMUNITY
Keep Your Children Home Day, United Voice, Quest Community News, News Corp Australia
NATIONAL/METRO
Click & Play in the USA, Brand USA, NZME
BEST EXECUTION OF NATIVE ADVERTISING FOR A CLIENT (OPEN)
The Survivors Collection, The NZ Breast Cancer Foundation, The New Zealand Herald, NZME
BEST EXECUTION OF INTEGRATED ADVERTISING FOR A CLIENT (OPEN)
This is Where, Brand USA, NZME
BEST INNOVATION FOR AN ADVERTISING CLIENT (OPEN)
Daze Point Travel Research, APT Travel Group, The Australian, News Corp Australia
MARKETING
BEST TRADE MARKETING CAMPAIGN (OPEN)
Audiences Captured, NZME
BEST CONSUMER BRAND CAMPAIGN (OPEN)
Discover More, The New Zealand Herald, NZME
BEST SUBSCRIBER ACQUISITION CAMPAIGN (OPEN)
The Creative DM Design Challenge, NZME
BEST COMMUNITY OR SOCIAL-PURPOSE INITIATIVE (OPEN)
Do Something! Day 2017, News Community, News Corp Australia
TECHNICAL
BEST RUN OF PRESS (OPEN)
Apple Daily Hong Kong, Next Digital
PRINT CENTRE OF THE YEAR (OPEN)
Townsville Print Centre, News Corp Australia
PRODUCT INNOVATION
BEST USE OF PRINT (OPEN)
S.O.S – Save Our Schoolkids, The Courier-Mail, News Corp Australia
BEST USE OF DIGITAL (OPEN)
How to spot a rip, theage.com.au, Fairfax Media
BEST USE OF MOBILE (OPEN)
The Valley – Stuff Circuit, Stuff.co.nz, Stuff
INNOVATION OF THE YEAR (OPEN)
A Digital Playbook for Every Newsroom, News Regional Media, News Corp Australia
EXECUTIVE EXCELLENCE
HEGARTY SCHOLARSHIP FOR BEST YOUNG EXECUTIVE (UNDER 35)
Lauren Moloney, Head of Digital Business Development, News Xtend, News Corp Australia
NEWS MEDIA EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR
Fred Wesley, Editor in Chief, The Fiji Times
PHOTOGRAPHY
Portrait, Feature Or Lifestyle Photography
COMMUNITY
Community left shattered, Christel Yardley, Stuff.co.nz, Stuff
REGIONAL
Animals in aged care, Glenn Daniels, Bendigo Advertiser, Fairfax Media
NATIONAL/METRO
The Last Swagman, Justin McManus, The Sunday Age, Fairfax Media
Sport Photography
COMMUNITY
Cage Fighting, Andrew Ritchie, Community Newspapers, Community News Group
REGIONAL
#Sweethandz, Jon Gellweiler, South Western Times, Seven West Media (WAN)
NATIONAL/METRO
Hugh Bowman fall from Performer, Daniel Munoz, Australian Associated Press, News Corp Australia
News Photography
COMMUNITY
Under The Spotlight, Texas Reeks, Mandurah Mail, Fairfax Media
REGIONAL
Paddle Out, Georgia Matts, Illawarra Mercury, Fairfax Media
NATIONAL/METRO
Return of Mungo Man, Justin McManus, The Saturday Age, Fairfax Media
PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY (OPEN)
Battle for Mosul, Kate Geraghty, The Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media