Free Press online edition wins Global Media Award

The Winnipeg Free Press was recognized at the prestigious 2019 Global Media Awards last week, taking home a top prize alongside esteemed publications such as the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

The Free Press finished first place in the Best Idea to Grow Digital Readership or Engagement category for "Above the Fold," the online edition highlighting the day’s top stories published every weeknight.

"This award speaks to the success we are having building a digital future for the Free Press. Above the Fold is an innovation designed to serve our growing audience and we are delighted our efforts have won this global recognition," Free Press editor Paul Samyn said.

The Global Media Awards are produced by the International News Media Association. The winners were announced at the closing dinner of the INMA World Congress of News Media in New York on May 17.

Forty first-place winners, including the Free Press, were selected in 20 categories. The entrants were judged in two groups: global or national brands, and regional or local brands.

The INMA has presented media awards since 1937. This year, there were 664 entries from 165 different media companies spanning 34 countries, including newspaper and magazine media outlets, digital media companies, and television and radio.

The winners were selected by an international panel of 46 executives from 15 countries. In total, the 40 winners were selected from a group of 194 finalists.

"This year’s Global Media Awards first place recipients leaned heavily into the science of marketing with emphasis on data, metrics, and return on investment," INMA executive director and CEO Earl J. Wilkinson, said in a written statement.

"Yet the brand campaigns stood above everything. Judges said the competition was intensively competitive, and the final decisions difficult. All winners and finalists should know that their efforts stand as the world’s best from the past year."