Emma McIntosh of The Narwhal is the 2023 recipient of the Emerging Excellence Award. Sponsored by The Reader’s Digest Foundation of Canada, the award honours an individual whose early work in Canadian digital publishing shows the highest degree of craft and promise.
“In reviewing submissions for the Emerging Excellence award, we were asked to consider three main points: the quality and creativity of the candidate’s work, their impact, and their potential. Emma McIntosh excelled in all three, but what really stood out was the extent of her impact. Her reporting for The Narwhal has made politicians and policymakers sit up and take notice. And at a time when many of us are probably experiencing climate fatigue, she’s making readers sit up and take notice too. Her reporting could serve as a model for how to do journalism that stands out in an age of information overload. And we can’t wait to see what she does next.”
—DPA Jury
Previous Winners
2022 Winner — Michelle Gamage of The Tyee
Michelle Gamage of The Tyee was the 2022 recipient of the prestigious Emerging Excellence award, honouring an individual whose early work in Canadian digital publishing shows the highest degree of craft and promise. The jury was impressed by Michelle’s ability to navigate different digital formats without making any concessions to the important content she reports on.
2021 Winner — Christopher Cheung of The Tyee
Christopher Cheung of The Tyee was the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Emerging Excellence award. The jury was particularly impressed by the quality and depth of Cheung’s hyper-local content with a personal touch.
2020 Winner — Jane Lytvynenko of Buzzfeed News
Jane Lytvynenko of BuzzFeed News was the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Emerging Excellence award. The jury was impressed with how she has established herself as a global leader in debunking disinformation. Additionally noteworthy is her impact on global media and ability to lead and train others in this important field.
2019 Winner — Sofia Misenheimer of Art/iculation
Sofia Misenheimer of Art/iculation was the 2019 recipient of the prestigious Emerging Excellence award. When discussing the merits of the applicants, the jury had this to say of Sofia: “She is a driven individual who is only going to continue to make a positive impact through her work in the digital media landscape.”
2018 Winner — Elizabeth Melito, CBC News
Elizabeth Melito of CBC News was recognized as the 2018 recipient of the Emerging Excellence Award. The 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.”
2017 Winner — Naël Shiab, CBC/Radio Canada
Naël Shiab was named this year’s recipient of the 2017 Emerging Excellence Award. The award honours an individual whose early work in Canadian digital publishing shows the highest degree of craft and promise.
Recruited by CBC/Radio Canada in 2011, Naël Shiab travelled the country as a young journalist for three years before completing a Master’s degree in data journalism at the University of King’s College. Upon returning to Montreal, he worked for Journal Métro before joining the team at L’actualité. Since then, he has worked hard to push the boundaries of Canadian journalism, merging reporting with the most advanced algorithms to bring the reader the most personalized information possible.