Meet the top winners of 2008
The top Public Service prize World Yougn Reader Prize for 2008 went jointly to 20 South African titles of Independent Newspapers, Media 24, Avusa and Associated Independent Press South Africa. Accepting the award on behalf of all the winners were Zarene Govender of the Education Ministry and Barbara McGorian of The Independent (above right). Accepting the other top prizes were Ilka Hahn and Wolfram Klerx, of Rheinische Post in Germany (NIE), Marc Astley of Express & Echo in the United Kingdom (Brand), Kriss Johnson of The Lexington Herald Leader in the United States (Newspapers & Literacy), Katarzyna Kolanowska of the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza (The World Young Reader Newspaper of the Year) and Christine Houde of Le Journal de Montréal in Canada (Editorial). The prizes are sponsored by Norske Skog, the Norway-based global paper producer.
Details about all the winners
FRANÇAIS DEUTSCH ESPAÑOL
The Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza won the World Association of Newspaper's 2008 World Young Reader Newspaper of the Year award.
A special "Literacy and Newspapers" prize was also awarded, to the Lexington-Herald Leader in the United States, for a serialized story project designed to provide a family reading tool and also an opportunity teach children about the country's history.
Gazeta Wyborcza, with a circulation of nearly half a million daily, up more than 3 percent last year, has demonstrated a commitment to attracting younger readers in a country where half the population is under 35. In addition to the top award, the newspaper won Jury Commendations for two projects: a tie-in for young readers with the Euro 2008 football matches, and for a campaign that helped readers protest against Chinese policies in Tibet. "This newspaper clearly engages its young readers on many fronts - from sport to education to human rights - in creative and effective ways that are sure to build loyalty," the Paris-based WAN said in making the award. Headline: "Gazeta for the Young."
Other top winners were:
- "Le P'tit 5 minutes," the children's infographic page in Le Journal de Montréal in Canada, in the Editorial category;
- The Rheinische Post in Germany, for its "News to Use" for young employees, in the Newspapers in Education category; - The Express & Echo in the United Kingdom, for it's "Green Shoppers Campaign," in the Brand category;
- and four companies, Independent Newspapers, Media 24, Avusa and Associated Independent Press in South Africa, representing 20 papers in all, for their "National Teachers Strike Recovery Initiative", in the Public Service category; Participating South African newspapers were: The Star. The Cape Argus, The Pretoria News, The Daily News, Isoleswe, The Diamond Fields Advertiser, The Daily Sun, The Sowetan, The Daily Dispatch, The EP Herald, Die Beeld, Die Burger, Volksblad, The Limpopo Mirror, The Zoutpansburger, The Letaba Bulletin, Excelsior News, Township Roundtrip, KitsNuus, Kormorant
Jury commendations and special mentions were also awarded in all the core categories:
Editorial - Five plus one special mention: O Dia (Brazil), Zero Hora (Brazil), Ekstra Bladet, (Denmark), plus a special mention for L'Equipe (France)
Brand - Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung (Germany), Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland)
NIE - Braunschweiger Zeitung (Germany).
Public Service - 24Sata (Croatia), Kakhetis Khma (Georgia), Malayala Manorama (India), Irish Examiner (Ireland), Gazeta Wyborcza (Poland)
Details about all the winning entries are below.
The annual World Young Reader Prizes, which WAN has awarded since 1998, are supported by the paper manufacturer Norske Skog. The prizes will be presented at the annual WAN Readership Conference, to be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on 16 and 17 October (conference details HERE) Details about how to enter in 2009 are HERE. WAN announced the Young Reader Prize winners on International Literacy Day, a United Nations initiative to draw attention to the global problem of illiteracy. WAN contributed to the project by offering a free serialized story, and cartoons from some of the world's best known cartoonists, for newspapers to run in connection with Literacy Day. Details can be found at http://www.wan-press.org/nie/articles.php?id=1469 Judges included three previous winners of the prize, Lynne Cahill of The West Australian, Wendy Tribaldos of La Prensa, Panama, and Lisa Blakeway of The Learning Channel, South Africa (who did not take part in the Public Service deliberations). Also involved in the judging were members of the WAN young reader committee who have been on the jury since the prize began in 1998: Margaret Boribon, Secretary General of JFB, the newspaper association for the Belgian francophone press, and George Kelly, director of Creative Media Concepts International. Gerard van der Weijden of STEPP, Belgium, a longtime WAN advisor, also assisted in the selection. WAN invited two executives from The Post in Zambia as guest judges.
The Paris-based WAN, the global organisation for the newspaper industry, defends and promotes press freedom and the professional and business interests of newspapers world-wide. Representing 18,000 newspapers, its membership includes 77 national newspaper associations, newspaper companies and individual newspaper executives in 102 countries, 12 news agencies and 11 regional and world-wide press groups.
THE DETAILS: 2008
TOP AWARDS
POLAND
AWARD: Newspaper of the Year (Winner)
NEWSPAPER: Gazeta Wyborcza (Warsaw, circulation 448,142 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: This newspaper clearly engages its young readers on many fronts -- from sport to education to human rights -- in creative and effective ways that are sure to build loyalty. This commitment was proven again with the paper's two entries this year that won jury commendations (see below for details).
CANADA
AWARD: Editorial (Winner) for "Le P'tit 5 minutes" children's infographic page
NEWSPAPER: Le Journal de Montréal (Montreal, circulation 250,000 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: Le p'tit 5 minutes (the small five minutes) is a weekly infographic page produced by a team of grade school students and news professionals as an offshoot to the paper's popular adult infographics page, "In 5 Minutes." Each week, classes send in topic ideas to the newsroom for the page. Journalists then visit the class whose idea was selected to engage the students in the making of their own page to be featured in the newspaper. To find out more about this project please click here.
GERMANY
AWARD: Newspapers in Education (Winner) for "News to Use" for young employees
NEWSPAPER: Rheinische Post (Düsseldorf, circulation 404,744 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: This project targeted a transitional sector of the population often forgotten in editorial outreach. The paper reached out to young trainees (16-25) in companies that wanted them to improve reading comprehension and enhance current affairs knowledge. The project included daily delivery of the newspaper and regular test questions on news coverage to monitor the trainees' knowledge and understanding. To find out more about this project please click here.
SOUTH AFRICA
AWARD: Public Service (Winner) for "National Teachers' Strike Recovery Initiative"
NEWSPAPERS: Four newspaper groups: Independent Newspapers, Media 24, Avusa, AIP (Associated Independent Newspapaers) with a combined circulation of combined circulation of 1 437 500 daily*
WHAT THEY DID: In response to the largest teacher strike in post-Apartheid South Africa, the independent newspaper association proactively responded to mitigate the affects of the educational standstill through featuring study materials in the newspaper. Revision supplements based on the curriculum missed was created to reach students from all class levels, socioeconomic sectors and geographical locations. The materials have become an integral part the school system insofar as they have become key exam study tools as well. To find out more about this project please click here.
* Participating South African newspapers: The Star, The Cape Argus, The Pretoria News, The Daily News, Isoleswe, The Diamond Fields Advertiser, The Daily Sun, The Sowetan, The Daily Dispatch, The EP Herald, Die Beeld, Die Burger, Volksblad, The Limpopo Mirror, The Zoutpansburger, The Letaba Bulletin, Excelsior News, Township Roundtrip, KitsNuus, Kormorant
UNITED KINGDOM
AWARD: Brand (Winner) for "Green Shoppers Campaign" around eco-friendly, branded bags
NEWSPAPER: Express & Echo (Exeter, circulation 22,000 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: In a bold effort to minimize the use of plastic bags in the newspaper's circulation area, Express & Echo devised a youth project to galvanize readers to use reusable bags. The paper held a contest for young people in which the best bag design was printed on eco-friendly bags. The result has been more young readers and a 25 percent decrease in the use of plastic shopping bags in the area. To find out more about this project please click here.
UNITED STATES
AWARD: Literacy and Newspapers (Winner) for "Mr. Dogwood goes to Washington" serialized story project
NEWSPAPER: Lexington-Herald Leader (Lexington, Kentucky, 105,000/daily)
WHAT THEY DID: Newspapers across Kentucky ran a serial story about two dogs on a family vacation to Washington D.C. to learn about history and democracy in the American context. Spearheaded by the Lexington-Herald Leader, the project was extremely successful with its multi-platform approach. Readers could hear the protagonists read the story through podcasts, visit websites to find out more information, pick up the paper each week to follow the dogs' adventures and even meet real dogs like those in the story through class visits set up by the newspaper. To find out more about this project please click here.
OTHER AWARDS BRAZIL (1)
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Jury Commendation) for "200 years -- The Royal Family and the journey that has changed the world" history magazine project
NEWSPAPER: O Dia (Rio de Janeiro, circulation 115,000/daily)
WHAT THEY DID: In this project the newspaper presented youth with a new edgier history of the Brazilian monarchy. Over six weeks, magazines were inserted on a weekly basis into the newspaper and thereafter used as teaching resources in classrooms. The project had a huge success as evidenced by the central role it took in the formal educational system in the country. To find out more about this project please click here.
BRAZIL (2)
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Jury Commendation) for "Kzuka" youth perspectives integrated into the newspaper
NEWSPAPER: Zero Hora (Porto Alegre, 180 000 + daily)
WHAT THEY DID: The newspaper inserted a youth perspective directly into articles that could be of interest to young readers. The project made youth feel represented and involved in the newspaper and by interweaving original content with a new younger twist through surveys and youth research more young readers began to pick up the paper. With the change, the paper reached 657,000 young readers with a 27 percent growth rate in that sector, a rate higher than the initial decline the paper had seen among young readers. To find out more about this project please click here.
CROATIA
AWARD: Public Service (Jury Commendation) for "Angels and 24sata - the changing of a law" campaign in support of family and children's rights
NEWSPAPER: 24sata (Zagreb, 181,248 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: In this project the newspaper embarked on an ambitious fight to change the law on how handicapped children are cared for in Croatia. The newspaper advocated for the law to recognize one parent as lifelong caregivers for children requiring full time care as being employed and to make all of the child's necessities free of charge. After 500 days and countless articles portraying the stories of handicapped children the newspaper shepherded the new law to parliament! To find out more about this project please click here.
DENMARK
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Jury Commendation) for "Redaktionen" youth journalism experience
NEWSPAPER: Ekstra Bladet (Copenhagen, circulation 95,000 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: In this project the multi-step process of creating and distributing a newspaper was brought to Danish classrooms through a unique internet editorial platform. From picking a target audience, selecting and writing content to designing layout and uploading pictures the students were at the forefront of creating a classroom edition of the paper for a larger audience. Upon completion the newspaper printed one thousand copies of their edition for the students to sell or distribute freely. To find out more about this project please click here.
FRANCE
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Special Mention) for "L'Equipe Junior" sports online newspaper for children
NEWSPAPER: L'Equipe (Paris, Issy les Moulineaux, circulation 346 000 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: In this project, a bi-weekly online sports newspaper for children aged nine to 14 was created on a free subscription basis. The paper tapped into a lucrative niche market and kept kids stimulated with cutting-edge layout, images and content on one the most popular topics for kids. To find out more about this project please click here.
GEORGIA
AWARD: Public Service (Jury Commendation) for "Young Leader Program" public service initiative
NEWSPAPER: Kakhetis Khma (Voice of Kakheti, Gurjaani, 5,000 weekly)
WHAT THEY DID: In four months this newspaper increased their circulation rates by 50 percent through starting a Young Leader Program through the newspaper. The new team, which was recruited through a contest, and the newspaper then assumed an unprecedented role in public service by executing a number of activities in the community and featuring close to fifty articles on youth issues. Examples ranged from the publication of 10,000 copies of newspapers in local ethnic minority languages, volunteer-led street cleaning, and involvement in parliament elections. The project also extended into television, radio and internet outlets and involved as many as 1,678 students for certain projects. To find out more about this project please click here.
GERMANY (1)
AWARD: Brand (Jury Commendation) for actions around the new baby lions at the zoo.
NEWSPAPER: Neue Osnabrücker Zeit. GmbH & Co. KG (Osnabrück, circulation 170,000 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: With children undoubtedly loving baby animals, this newspaper used the birth of six lions at the local zoo as a gateway to opening the newspaper up to a younger audience. A youth supplement with bright photos and posters of the new cubs, themed merchandise, competitions, and online activities brought youth both closer to the newspaper and an exciting local event. To find out more about this project please click here.
GERMANY (2)
AWARD: Newspapers in Education (Jury Commendation) for "Daily Paper in Kindergarten" project
NEWSPAPER: Braunschweiger Zeitung, Salzgitter Zeitung, Wolfsburger Nachrichten
(Braunschweig, circulation 146,000 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: With free newspapers delivered for three weeks and the editor visiting kindergarten classrooms, this project creatively showed how newspapers can be an educational tool for those even just starting to learn to read. With the paper, language and images were made more palpable for the young learners. The newspaper even created a mascot for the children, a lion named Taki, to take them through the hands on activities. With close to 40,000 copies brought to classrooms the project was a widespread effort to expose the potential of papers for the youngest of readers. To find out more about this project please click here.
INDIA
AWARD: Public Service (Jury Commendation) for "We are with you" initiative for support of the terminally ill
NEWSPAPER: Malayala Manorama (1.6 million daily)
WHAT THEY DID: Spanning two years this project sparked a paradigm change in the southern Indian province of Kerala on the treatment of the terminally ill. The newspaper saw that as younger generations were increasingly moving away from home, aging parents and disabled people were left in their home villages with little supportive care. In response, the newspaper spearheaded a movement to increase palliative care. The project began with features in the newspaper on the importance of such care and later expanded into a statewide effort that involved youth in providing palliative care. The program involved 3,000 youth via training camps for youth and documentaries and booklets on the issue. Colleges and other community sectors started similar care initiatives and eventually the immense involvement sparked the interest of parliament, ultimately leading to a shift in geriatric public policy! To find out more about this project please click here.
IRELAND
AWARD: Public Service (Jury Commendation) for "Drugs and Ireland" supplement on fighting drug use
NEWSPAPER: Irish Examiner, (55,948 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: In this two-tier project, the newspaper sought to expose the increase in drug use in Ireland. In the first part, journalists presented an empirical study that gauged the harrowing truth of drug use among youth. Then a supplement book was included in the paper to provide tips for parents on how they can talk to their children about the affects of drugs. A mix of facts and case studies were used and the campaign extended to the radio as well to gain exposure for the printed materials. The newspaper also saw an average of four percent increase in sales crossing over two fiscal years when the project took place. To find out more about this project please click here.
POLAND (1)
AWARD: Brand (Jury Commendation) for "Mini-Euro 2008 with Gazeta Wyborcza" football champions through the newspaper
NEWSPAPER: Gazeta Wyborcza (Warsaw, circulation 448,142/daily)
WHAT THEY DID: After the short-lived excitement of qualifying for the 2008 European Football Championship, this newspaper did not stand unbowed to the Polish team's early defeat. Rather, the paper proactively responded in an effort to spur patriotic spirit by creating a mini-Euro championship for its youngest readers. With government support the paper published guidelines in the newspaper and they set up simulated football games. The project got kids active while also building the paper's brand. To find out more about this project please click here.
POLAND (2)
AWARD: Public Service (Jury Commendation) for "Campaign: Solidarity with Tibet"
NEWSPAPER: Gazeta Wyborcza (circulation 448,142 daily)
WHAT THEY DID: In this effort, readers, non-governmental organizations and the newspaper came together to move beyond traditional editorial approaches to stand up to injustices taking place in Tibet. The newspaper placed a Tibetan flag on the front page of the paper and encouraged readers to cut it out and post it in a visible place in protestation for Chinese policy in Tibet. 500,000 people bought the edition! Readers then posted more than 1000 photos within the first week on the newspaper's website of them holding the flag. The movement was especially popular among young readers and schools, as seen by the colossal number of photos and collages from youth. To find out more about this project please click here.
2007
TOP AWARDS
EL SALVADOR
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Winner) and World Young Reader Newspaper of the Year
NEWSPAPER: La Prensa Grafica (circulation 110,000)
WHAT THEY DID: Began a move toward a "Total Youth Think" approach by first holding a retreat with young readers, then changing the whole newspaper for a day based on their suggestions. The paper has since integrated consideration of young people into core editorial decisions even as it expanded its content and special services for the young.
POLAND
AWARD: Public Service (Winner)
NEWSPAPER: Gazeta Wyborcza (circulation 442 000)
WHAT THEY DID: Focused on young people it its multi-media national campaign to save Poland's rich, bio-diverse Rospuda Valley from an expressway. The effort galvanized Poland's population by reaching them through multiple platforms, allowing citizens to serve as reporters on the issue and even holding a rock concert.
USA
AWARD: Newspapers in Education (Winner)
NEWSPAPER: The Patriot News (Pennsylvania) (circulation 107 140)
WHAT THEY DID: Established Famlly Literacy Nights to develop student literacy levels and increase NiE home deliveries. The paper provided parents with home care of infants so they and their other children have a hot meal together at the paper at the paper and do that encouraged reading.
OTHER AWARDS
BRAZIL
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Jury Commendation)
NEWSPAPER: Zero Hora (circulation 180,000)
WHAT THEY DID: Created special summaries of stories called "For Your Child To Read" to help children understand regular news coverage.
NAMIBIA
AWARD: Public Service (Jury Commendation)
NEWSPAPER: Republikein (circulation 21 000)
WHAT THEY DID: Used excess newsprint to produce Etameko "scrapbooks" of blank pages for writing and drawing and partnered with a local grocery store distribute one million of them to schools in rural and disadvantaged areas around the country.
POLAND
AWARD: Public Service (Jury Commendation)
NEWSPAPER: Gazeta Wyborcza (circulation 442 000)
WHAT THEY DID: Created a language project, "Polish can be hot," featured a wide array of activities and a collection of 13 Polish dictionaries sold with the newspaper, the last of which was generated by young readers and their teachers, and edited by the newspaper's language expert.
RUSSIA
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Jury Commendation)
NEWSPAPER: Delovoy Peterburg (circulation 23 500)
WHAT THEY DID: Launched a multi-platform project of blogs, workshops, a special section, internet support, videos, networks and lots more to help build loyalty among young people who wanted to succeed in business.
SPAIN
AWARD: Brand (Special Mention)
NEWSPAPER: Diario de Navarra (circulation 58 538)
WHAT THEY DID: Changed the children's page into a daily set of challenges called "Lee y Gana (Read and Win)," that guided young readers and their parents through the paper in a fun way.
USA
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Jury Commendation)
NEWSPAPER: New York Daily News (circulation 687 827)
WHAT THEY DID: Partnered with Children's PressLine to produce "BackTalk", a column that allowed youth journalists 8- to 18-years-old to hold politicians and community leaders accountable for young people's quality-of-life issues. The point: The young cannot vote, but don't underestimate their willingness to engage the powerful -- and get results.
USA
AWARD: Editorial Strategy (Jury Commendation)
NEWSPAPER: Denver News Agency (Colorado) (circulation Denver Post, 255,449; Rocky Mountain News, 255,426)
WHAT THEY DID: Created a chlld-friendly, web-safe community journalism site for 8- to 13- year-olds that is supported by training for youth reporters.
VENEZUELA
AWARD: Brand (Jury Commendation)
NEWSPAPER: Urbe (Cadena Capriles) (circulation 50 000)
WHAT THEY DID: Established a youth culture award project, "Had you ever seen a green dog?," that let readers 18- to 25-years-old vote in categories such as music, film and even tattoo artists for an awards ceremony and party in which winners received a green dog statue as a trophy.
SPECIAL ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD
BULGARIA
AWARD: Special Encouragement Award
NEWSPAPER: Borba (circulation 9 000)
WHAT THEY DID: Dedicated four full-color pages each week to showcase the work of children and present a child-friendly review of the week's news. The award recognized the clear commitment of the staff with judges predicting big things to come for this paper.
