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: