At the National Media Awards Foundation, we’re getting ready to honour the best in journalism, at the 4th annual Digital Publishing Awards and the 42nd National Magazine Awards. We’re currently accepting nominations for individuals to serve on the juries, and join the great tradition of recognizing achievement by the creators of Canadian magazines and digital publications.
Ideal candidates should fulfill one or more of the following criteria:
Internationally renowned journalist, editor, designer or other expert with an interest in supporting the NMAF fulfill its mission;
Editor, art director, publisher, web editor, developer or other staff member (past or present) of a Canadian digital publication or magazine, whether or not your publication participates in the National Magazine Awards or Digital Publishing Awards;
Freelance or staff writer, illustrator, photographer or digital creator, where a significant portion of your work is in Canadian publications (especially if you have been nominated for or won a National Magazine Award or Digital Publishing Award yourself);
Journalist (print, broadcast, digital) with expertise in a particular field represented by one or more NMA or DPA categories (such as photojournalism, service, arts & culture, fiction, etc);
Academic or industry leader with expertise in a particular field;
Professionals and leadersfrom related cultural sectors, including the visual arts (film and television), the literary arts (book writing & publishing) and the performing arts (theatre, music);
Bilingual: Not all of our judges need be bilingual, but all awards juries will have at least one bilingual member.
The NMAF welcomes applications from individuals who bring different industry perspectives – from recognized leaders to celebrated emerging talents. We also aim for the judging panels to reflect our country’s diverse Indigenous, cultural, and regional communities.
Judging will take place during February and March 2019. Contact us at info@digitalpublishingawards.ca for more information or to nominate someone to the jury.
The NMAF is a bilingual, not-for-profit, charitable organization whose mission is to foster, recognize and promote editorial excellence in Canadian publications. Submissions will open in January for awards honouring the best in digital publishing in 2018. The 4th annual Digital Publishing Awards soiree will be held in the spring of 2019.
From all of us at the National Media Awards Foundation, thank you to everyone who helped make the 3rd annual Digital Publishing Awards a great success.
Special thanks to Kenny Yum—last year’s Digital Publishing Leadership Award winner—for starting off the night by congratulating the nominees and thanking the 78 volunteer judges; Adrian Lee for hosting the event and keeping the audience laughing throughout the night; and Irene Thomaidis, for introducing this year’s Digital Publishing Leadership Award winner, Brodie Fenlon.
Thanks also to Mathieu Baril (managing director of DDI Canada) who presented the winner of the Best Podcast or Audio Storytelling category!
We are enormously grateful for our 78 judges, who are the crux of the award program. You can read more about the 2018 roster of judges here.
Many thanks to those who attended the event (and to those who followed along via the live-stream and on Twitter), and to the participants, nominees, and winners of this year’s awards. We hope you enjoyed celebrating the best of Canada’s digital talent, and we look forward to welcoming you back in 2019 for the 4th annual DPAs!
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Visit live.digitalpublishingawards.ca to view all the winners of the 2018 Digital Publishing Awards. The 2019 Call for Entries will open on January 1st, 2019. Follow us on Twitter (@DPAwards) for updates.
The National Media Awards Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Digital Publishing Awards. This awards season saw 79 Canadian digital publications enter their best work from 2017, for consideration in 23 awards categories. 78 dedicated judges carefully evaluated the entries, deliberated upon the finalists, and on May 29th, the Gold and Silver winners were announced at the annual DPA Soirée, hosted by Adrian Lee.
20 different digital publications took home Gold and Silver medals. From them, four (HuffPost Québec, ICI Radio-Canada Première, The Deep and The Sprawl) were first-time winners.
Gold winning publications included Canadian Art, CBC News, Global News (globalnews.ca), Hakai Magazine, HuffPost Quebec, ICI Radio-Canada Première, The Globe and Mail, The Sprawl, The Walrus, and TVO.org. In most categories, the Digital Publishing Awards Gold winners received a $500 cheque alongside their award.
Taking home Silver medals were Air Canada enRoute, BuzzFeed Canada, CBC Original Podcasts, Discourse Media, Hazlitt, National Observer, Options politiques, Today’s Parent, Toronto Life, and VICE.
“Congratulations to all the winners of the third annual Digital Publishing Awards. Your success highlights not just your creativity and excellence in journalism, but your mastery of digital platforms to tell compelling stories. It is a reminder of the vast pool of talented creators, and publishers, in Canada’s digital media industry. We’re thrilled to recognize your wonderful work through the DPA program.” — Nino Di Cara, NMAF President
GENERAL EXCELLENCE IN DIGITAL PUBLISHING
The 2018 award for General Excellence in Digital Publishing was presented in three divisions: small, medium, and large publications.
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The Deep won the Gold Medal for General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Small Publications. “They’re doing remarkable work with a very small staff, using their resources intelligently so that each story has the greatest impact. Their mandate—to tell in depth stories based on the East Coast—feels not only necessary, especially with the erosion of local news, but like one that they are well-positioned to carry out, considering their balance of a considered design with engaging stories,” remarked the digital publishing awards jury. “As traditional publishers grapple with diminished capacity, it will take efforts like those of The Deep, to ensure deeper, longer stories are still told and more importantly, heard!
Honourable Mention in General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Small Publications was awarded to Fjord Review and National Observer.
Hakai Magazine received the Gold medal for General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Medium Publications. “Hakai is the realization of what a great digital magazine can be. With beautiful imagery, clean design, crisp writing, and well-integrated digital features, Hakai sets the standard for a high-quality digital publication,” said the Digital Publishing Awards jury. “Everything about the site is in support of its content and the reader, as it should be.”
Hakai Magazine received six other awards in various categories, including a second Gold in Best Online Video – Feature for “Here Be Tiny Dragons (and Other Micro Beasts).”
Honourable Mention General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Medium Publications was given to Passport and Today’s Parent.
The winner of the General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Large Publication award went to The Globe and Mail. The jury had this to say: “The Globe and Mail team produced an extremely innovative body of work. Their editorial mandate was not only fulfilled, it was surpassed and truly represented the highest of journalistic standards.”
Le Devoir and Winnipeg Free Press received Honourable Mention in Digital Publishing: Large Publications.
EMERGING EXCELLENCE AWARD
Elizabeth Melito, CBC News
Elizabeth Melito of CBC News was recognized as this year’s recipient of the Emerging Excellence Award. The Emerging Excellence Award jury was “exceptionally impressed by Elizabeth’s clear demonstration of leadership and initiative in a large and respected organization like CBC News. She joined CBC News, her first media job, in 2015. In a short time she has earned a high level of respect and responsibility and has developed two custom long-form development tools that have been rolled out nationally at CBC.”
DIGITAL PUBLISHING LEADERSHIP AWARD
Brodie Fenlon, CBC News
Brodie Fenlon, the Senior Director of Daily News and Bureaus for the CBC, was the recipient of the 2018 Digital Publishing Leadership Award. The award honours an individual whose career contributions to Canadian digital publishing deserve recognition and celebration.
WINNERS HIGHLIGHTS
The leading publication in this year’s Digital Publishing Awards is The Globe and Mail. The “Unfounded” investigation—led by Dennis Choquett, Robyn Doolittle, Laura Blenkinsop, Jeremy Agius, and Michael Pereira—won Gold in both Best Digital Editorial Package and Best News Coverage.
Hakai Magazine was also a top-winning publication, receiving two Gold medals, two Silver medals, and three Honourable Mentions. Jude Isabella, the magazine’s editor-in-chief, contributed to three of those winning pieces.
“Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2017,” published in Air Canada enRoute, won two silver medals, in the categories of Best Online Video: Short and Best Digital Editorial Package.
Global News (globalnews.ca) was a two-time winner: “Canada’s #ToxicSecret” was the Gold winner in the Best Social Storytelling category, while “Fire Watch: B.C. Wildfire Coverage” was the Silver winner in the Best News Coverage category.
Visit live.digitalpublishingawards.ca to view the winners in all 23 categories. Follow the Digital Publishing Awards on Twitter @DPAwards and #DPA18.
Emerging Excellence Award
Elizabeth Melito, CBC News
Digital Publishing Leadership Award
Brodie Fenlon, CBC News
General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Small The Deep
General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Medium Hakai Magazine
General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Large The Globe and Mail
Best Digital Editorial Package
GOLD: Unfounded, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2017, Air Canada enRoute
Best Blog or Online-Only Column
GOLD: Lauren McKeon, TVO.org
SILVER: Ici et ailleurs: Chronique d’Alain Noël, Options politiques
Best News Coverage: Small Newsroom
GOLD : The Sprawl: 2017 Election Edition, The Sprawl
SILVER: Kinder Morgan’s Pipeline in Canada, National Observer
Best News Coverage
GOLD: Unfounded, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Fire Watch: B.C. Wildfire Coverage, Global News (globalnews.ca)
Best Feature Article: Short
GOLD: Aleppo Mayor, written by Cathal Kelly, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: This Is How Your Hyperpartisan Political News Gets made, written by Craig Silverman, BuzzFeed Canada
Best Feature Article: Long
GOLD: The Making of Joseph Boyden, written by Eric Andrew-Gee, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Death of a Modern Wolf, written by J.B. MacKinnon, Hakai Magazine
Fiction
GOLD: Young Tomorrow, written by Sean Michaels, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Half-Pipe, written by Zoe Whittall, Hazlitt
Best Personal Essay
GOLD: Black on Bay Street, written by Hadiya Roderique, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Kids of addiction, written by Trevor Jang, Discourse Media
Best Arts & Culture Story
GOLD: A Road Trip with Christopher Pratt, written by Mireille Egan, Canadian Art
SILVER: Kent Monkman: The modern touch of an old master, written by Dakshana Bascaramurty, The Globe and Mail
Best Science and Technology Story
GOLD: Understanding the quantum computing revolution, written by Ivan Semeniuk, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Watts in the Water, written by Bruce Grierson, Hakai Magazine
Best Service Feature: Lifestyle
GOLD: Le Montréal oublié, written by Daphnée Hacker-B., HuffPost Québec
SILVER: Where to Eat Now, written by Mark Pupo, Toronto Life
Best Service Feature: Family & Health
GOLD: How do I talk to my five-year-old about white supremacy?, written by Kalli Anderson, The Walrus
SILVER: Fortunate Son, written by Erin Anderssen, The Globe and Mail
Best Online Video: Short
GOLD: How close are we to the end of the world? Check the Doomsday Clock, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Canada’s Best New Restaurants 2017 – Battuto, Air Canada enRoute
Best Online Video: Feature
GOLD: Here Be Tiny Dragons (and Other Micro Beasts), Hakai Magazine
SILVER: The ultimate gift: How two dads finally got their son, Today’s Parent
Best Online Video: Mini-Doc
GOLD: Dancing Towards the Light, CBC News
SILVER, Age of Consent, VICE
Best Podcast & Audio Storytelling
GOLD: Disparue(s), ICI Radio-Canada Première
SILVER: Someone Knows Something – Dee & Moore, CBC Original Podcasts
Best Digital Design
GOLD: Census 2016, CBC News
SILVER: The Globe and Mail, The Globe and Mail
Best Photo Storytelling
GOLD: Canada through the lens of Syrian refugees, The Globe and Mail
SILVER: Single Mothers of Afghanistan, The Globe and Mail
Best Social Storytelling
GOLD: Canada’s #ToxicSecret, Global News (globalnews.ca)
SILVER: Coming to Canada: The Immigration and Refugee System, CBC News
Best Digital Initiative
GOLD: A City Destroyed: Experience the Halifax Explosion, CBC News
SILVER: Weigh Anchor, The Globe and Mail
The NMAF offers its sincere thanks to the highly skilled professionals who generously contributed their time and expertise as judges of the Digital Publishing Awards competition.
The Digital Publishing Awards (DPAs) are pleased to announce the 2018 nominees for their 3rd annual awards program, recognizing excellence in the content and creation of Canadian digital publications.
This year, 79 Canadian digital publications entered the DPAs, submitting entries for consideration in 23 awards categories. The top overall prize—General Excellence in Digital Publishing—will presented in three divisions, for small, medium and large publications.
“We are extremely proud to present the third annual Digital Publishing Awards. The work of the creators and publishers nominated this year speaks to the astounding quality of digital journalism produced here in Canada. To celebrate these innovative, hard working individuals on a national stage and beyond is a true privilege,” said NMAF President Nino Di Cara.
Our dedicated roster of 78 judges volunteered their time, expertise, and passion for digital publishing in serving on this year’s jury. They have nominated 106 entries from 37 different digital publications for this year’s awards.
The three standout nominees for the coveted Emerging Excellence Award, which honours an individual whose early work in Canadian digital publishing shows the highest degree of craft and promise, are: Elizabeth Melito of CBC News, Graeme Bruce of the Winnipeg Free Press, and Ishani Nath of the Entertainment pillar (FLARE and Hello! Canada).
Elizabeth Melito, CBC News
Graeme Bruce, Winnipeg Free Press
Ishani Nath, Entertainment pillar (FLARE and Hello! Canada)
LEADERSHIP AWARD
The NMAF is pleased to present the 2018 Digital Publishing Leadership Award to Brodie Fenlon, Senior Director of Daily News and Bureaus for theCBC. A respected mentor and leader, Brodie’s pursuit for digital innovation is matched with a desire to build camaraderie in the newsroom. Described by his peers as a “transformative leader” and an “incredibly positive and galvanizing force”, Brodie is lauded for his remarkable achievements and generous personality. Click here to read Brodie’s full biography.
For the third year in a row,Air Canada enRoute’s “Best New Restaurants” guide is nominated for Best Digital Editorial Package. The magazine’s popular guide is also finalist for Best Online Video: Short.
“Unfounded” by reporters Robyn Doolittle, Laura Blenkinsop, Jeremy Agius,and Michael Pereira, published in The Globe and Mailis nominated twice, in Best Digital Editorial Package and Best News Coverage.
CBC News’ “Dancing Towards the Light” is nominated in two categories: Best Arts & Culture Story and Best Online Video: Mini-Doc.
Nominees – General Excellence in Digital Publishing: Small Publication
Congratulations to the 2018 nominees! Visit live.digitalpublishingawards.ca to view the individuals nominated this year and their outstanding work. If you would like to make any credit changes, please send details to info@digitalpublishingawards.ca before May 3, 2018.
DIGITAL PUBLISHING AWARDS SOIRÉE Gold, Silver, and Honourable Mention awards will be presented at the Digital Publishing Awards soirée on Tuesday, May 29th, 2018 at One King West in Toronto. Gold winners in most categories include a $500 cash prize. Tickets are on sale atdigitalpublishingawards.ca. Follow the Digital Publishing Awards on Twitter @DPAwards and #DPA18.
The Digital Publishing Awards Soirée will be hosted by Adrian Lee. Adrian is the opinions editor for Maclean’s, a Polaris Prize jury member, a Digital Publishing Award winner, and karaoke champion, in order of least to most important facts about him. He is thrilled for the opportunity to attend a gala that allows him to wear a tuxedo, which he purchased in what he describes as “a good idea at the time.”
Digital Publishing Awards Soirée Tuesday, May 29th, 2018 Doors open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm. One King West Hotel 1 King Street West, Toronto, ON
The National Media Awards Foundation offers its sincere thanks to the highly skilled professionals who generously contributed their time and expertise as judges of this year’s Digital Publishing Awards competition.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Barbara Gould, Managing Director, at info@digitalpublishingawards.ca.
For further information about the Digital Publishing Awards, please contact Leah Edwards, Digital Communications Coordinator, at info@digitalpublishingawards.ca.
The National Media Awards Foundation (NMAF) is proud to announce that the CBC’s Senior Director of Daily News and Bureaus Brodie Fenlon is this year’s recipient of the Digital Publishing Leadership Award, which honours an individual whose career contributions to Canadian digital publishing deserve recognition and celebration. Brodie will be presented with his award – the highest individual distinction from the Digital Publishing Award program – at the DPA Soirée on May 29th.
Brodie’s career in journalism began after graduating from Western University’s journalism program, when he started working as a newspaper reporter for the London Free Press and the Toronto Sun. In 2007, Brodie switched from print to digital journalism, taking a position as digital editor at The Globe and Mail. Angus Frame, the Senior Vice President of Digital Products and New Product Development at Torstar Corp., says he takes “special pride in being the person who brought Brodie into the world of digital news (…).” Angus goes on to say that Brodie was “one of the best hires I have ever made.”
Brodie spent four years at The Globe and Mailbefore switching gears and becoming the Managing Editor of News at The Huffington Post Canada; there, he played a strategic role in launching the first international edition of the U.S. website. Angus Frame calls Brodie a “transformative leader at The Huffington Post and now at CBC,” as Brodie has since joined Canada’s national public broadcaster’s team, overhauling their digital news strategy. He “has been a force of nature since the day he stepped through the door,” notes Mari Ito, Executive Producer of Daily News at CBC News. Today, Brodie is the Senior Director of Daily News and Bureaus for theCBC.
At the CBC, Brodie has overseen the launch of new iOS and Android apps, the mobile site, and a number of interactive tools and templates. Under Brodie’s leadership,CBCNews.ca won last year’s Digital Publishing Award for General Excellence.
“He is a marvel,” says Greg Reame, Managing Editor of Daily News at CBC News. “With no apparent understanding of quantum physics, Brodie manages to warp the space-time continuum. It’s the only way to explain how he crams a week’s worth of industry and initiative into each 24-hour day.”
Brodie’s determination to drive digital innovation is lauded by his peers, with Angus Frame describing Brodie as an “incredibly positive and galvanizing force that can transform a staid or negative culture into a creative and optimistic one.” Mari Ito cites Brodie’s “boundless energy, positivity, and knowledge that helped transform CBC News into a place that not only embraces digital, but does so enthusiastically,” while Sasha Nagy (Managing Editor, Video at HuffPost Canada) highlights Brodie’s “enormous hunger to learn, to absorb all he could in order to untap the potential that digital media presented.”
Brodie’s pursuit for digital innovation is matched with a desire to build camaraderie in the newsroom. “He has been able to lead his newsrooms through challenging times and difficult stories, never losing their full support,” says Sasha Nagy, of Brodie’s time at The Huffington Post Canada. Clearly, this is a factor of Brodie’s leadership that he carries with him from newsroom to newsroom, as Mario Ito notes that, “despite his harrowingly packed schedule he makes time to be out on the [CBC] newsroom floor, checking in and connecting with his staff. Whenever anyone asks for one-on-one time with him, he makes it happen. When people are stressed, confused or worried, they know they can go to Brodie because he listens.”
Though his career path, brimming with professional achievements, is in itself impressive, Brodie’s peers were all careful to note his kind, generous personality. He is “genetically incapable of meanness” says Greg Reaume, while Sasha Nagy recognizes his knack for balancing work and family, remaining the “most decent journalist [he has] ever had the pleasure of working with.”
“Brodie is the kind of leader who inspires the people working for him and around him to be better,” says Mari Ito.
For his commitment to digital innovation through commendable leadership skills, the NMAF is honoured to present Brodie Fenlon with the 2018 Digital Publishing Leadership Award.
Nominations for the 2018 Digital Publishing Awards will be announced tomorrow at 10am EST. The Digital Publishing Leadership Award will be presented at the 2018 DPA Soirée on May 29th in Toronto. Tickets will be available for purchase on April 26th atdigitalpublishingawards.ca.
At the National Media Awards Foundation, we’re getting ready to honour the best in journalism, at the 4th annual Digital Publishing Awards and the 42nd National Magazine Awards. We’re currently accepting nominations for individuals to serve on the juries, and join the great tradition of recognizing achievement by the creators of Canadian magazines and digital publications.
Brodie Fenlon, the Senior Director of Daily News and Bureaus for the CBC, was the recipient of the 2018 Digital Publishing Leadership Award. The award honours an individual whose career contributions to Canadian digital publishing deserve recognition and celebration.
The NMAF is pleased to present the 2018 Digital Publishing Leadership Award to Brodie Fenlon, Senior Director of Daily News and Bureaus for the 
The Digital Publishing Awards Soirée will be hosted by Adrian Lee. Adrian is the opinions editor for Maclean’s, a Polaris Prize jury member, a Digital Publishing Award winner, and karaoke champion, in order of least to most important facts about him. He is thrilled for the opportunity to attend a gala that allows him to wear a tuxedo, which he purchased in what he describes as “a good idea at the time.”
