Editorial values, innovation are winners in DMA

Jun 03, 2026 at 12:33 pm by admin


 

Judges in WAN-Ifra’s Digital Media Awards have picked ‘the best of the best’ to honour global winners at the group’s Marseille Congress.

The awards cover 12 categories to celebrate outstanding achievement in digital journalism, product innovation, audience engagement, and newsroom transformation – recognising the trailblazers shaping the future of digital news publishing.

They were chosen from winners from the 811 entries across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, the Americas and South Asia. A newly introduced category recognising the growing contribution of news creators signals the industry’s evolving definition of journalism itself.

Chief executive Stig Ørskov saud that what stood out was finalists’ willingness to push boundaries: “Across every region, we are seeing publishers embrace new technologies, formats, and approaches to storytelling with remarkable creativity and confidence – not as innovation for its own sake, but to make journalism more engaging, more accessible, and more relevant to people’s lives.

“What gives me real optimism is that these organisations understand that strong editorial values and innovation are not opposing forces. The strongest entries demonstrate how new technologies, when deployed responsibly, can deepen audience relationships, reinforce editorial integrity, and create richer experiences that audiences genuinely value.”

 

Global winners:

 

 

Best News Website or App Relaunch:  Crime World  —  Mediahuis Ireland — Ireland

Best in Countering Disinformation:  Indicator  —  Indicator — Canada

Best Emerging News Provider:  Soiciety  —  Soiciety — Thailand

Best Reader Revenue Strategy:  Winning the Young Ones  —  NTM — Sweden

Best AI-Driven News Product, Format, or Strategy:  AI LINK: Let News Flow  —  Seoul Economic Daily — Republic of Korea

Best Newsletter:  The AI Shift  —  Financial Times — United Kingdom

Best in Audience Engagement:  Dave Jorgenson Goes Independent  —  Local News International — USA

Most Innovative Digital Product:  Publish X — A Digital Product for Scalable Editorial Decision-Making  —  United Daily News Group — Taiwan

Best Use of Video:  Anatomy of BGB Shootings in Rampura  —  The Daily Star — Bangladesh

Best Use of Audio:  The Outlaw Ocean Podcast  —  The Outlaw Ocean Project / CBC Podcasts — USA

Best Data Visualisation:  Stranded at Sea: A Decade After the EU’s Migrant Crisis, Hundreds Still Dying in Mediterranean  —  Reuters — United Kingdom

Best Marketing Campaign for a News Brand:  O GLOBO 100  —  O GLOBO — Brazil

 

Pictured top: Thailand’s Soiciety won the ‘best emerging news provider’ category

Sections: Digital business