The Manly Daily, The New Zealand Herald and The West Australian are among the hundreds of local newspaper publications to have made it into the 2013 PANPA (the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association) Newspaper of the Year list of finalists.
The finalists, who were announced on 2 August after weeks of rigorous evaluation by judges around the world, included publications from as far afield as Western Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Tasmania.
The full list for the finalists in the Newspaper of the Year, Digital News Destination of the Year, Marketing and Technical Excellence categories can be found by clicking here.
Mark Hollands (pictured), who was appointed as The Newspaper Works CEO in April replacing founding CEO Tony Hale, said there had been a great response from mastheads around the region with a strong field of entries.
“It is great to see the level of participation of newspapers and digital properties from around the region,” he said. “Whether big or small, news organisations have again taken part in these awards in big numbers.”
The awards are a chance for the newspaper industry to celebrate their great work in the face of adversity, given the difficult economic climate and period of transition they currently operate in.
“They recognise the importance of industry community and the value and benefits of recognition,” said Hollands. “Tough conditions in the market, and major structural changes in our businesses that is now taking place, mean it is important for everyone to focus not only on the challenges but also on the great work we do, and our contribution to society, our readers and commercial partners and clients.”
The winners will be announced at a gala dinner hosted by local media celebrity and political journalist, Annabel Crabb, on August 29, 2013, as part of the Future Forum, a conference designed to help newspapers discover new strategies to win audiences and increase revenue by hearing from some of the world’s leading publishers.
PANPA says that, due to an increase in entry submissions, the finalists for the photography categories will be released on Wednesday, August 7.
The PANPA Newspaper of the Year Awards are part of the 2013 Future Forum, which runs in Sydney from 28-29 August.
To book a place at the 2013 PANPA Newspaper of the Year Awards Dinner or register for the Future Forum, click here.