WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media Awards Middle East 2023 Winners Announced

With the Digital Media Awards, WAN-IFRA recognise news publishers who have delivered unique and original digital media projects. After an intense competition and an extensive evaluation process by a panel of distinguished judges. WAN-IFRA is proud to announce the outstanding winners in each of the nine categories in this year’s Digital Media Awards Middle East.

WAN-IFRA extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and expresses its deep appreciation to the esteemed judges who diligently assessed the submissions. This recognition not only celebrates the winners‘ outstanding achievements but also emphasises their pivotal role in shaping the digital media landscape.

Best Data Visualisation
Project: The Kingdom vs Captagon
Company: Arab News
Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Comment from a juror:
"It’s very rare to find stories that are well researched, and presented in a friendly and engaging way. This story is one of them."

Best Digital Subscription Initiative
Project: Best Subscription Initiative
Company: Gulf News
Country: United Arab Emirates

Comment from a juror:
"This initiative has a strong opportunity to reach out to specific audiences in the UAE, especially with the focus on local news. The idea of partnering with third parties to encourage subscriptions has a strong element to it that I believe can expand in the future."

Best ePaper-Concept
Project: The Digital Edition
Company: Muscat Media Group
Country: Oman

Comment from a juror:
"Great use of the fact this is a digital product and therefore more interactive than a traditional print product."

Best in Audience Engagement
Project: KT Personalize
Company: Khaleej Times
Country: United Arab Emirates

Comment from a juror:
"This is an exceptionally well thought out approach to refining a technology stack that has demonstrated positive reader engagement. It is no small thing to onboard a CDP, architect 0 and 1PD and then implement a personalisation engine too. I was glad to see a measurement framework and the ability to track performance against this. Well done on the implementation and on some real meaningful learnings."

Best News Website
Project: Hia Website Revamp
Company: Hia Magazine
Country: United Arab Emirates

Comment from a juror:
"Outstanding new website targeted at affluent Arab women."

Best Newsletter
Project: Beshara
Company: The National
Country: United Arab Emirates

Comment from a juror:
"A first-class newsletter product, telling stories in a different way and not just a distribution method for typical national work. Really good team coordination too."

Best Podcast
Project: The Mayman Show
Company: Arab News
Country: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Comment from a juror:
"What is very special about this podcast is the personality of the presenter. He portrays a humble character, talks in a very friendly way to his guests, and he is a very good host. The show has a distinctive look and feel, and the target audience is well defined, and can be determined through the topics and guests chosen."

Best Trust Initiative
Project: An old-school solution to modern misinformation
Company: DL News
Country: United Arab Emirates

Best Use of Video
Project: Germany’s Palestine Problem
Company: The New Arab
Country: United Kingdom

WAN-IFRA’s Digital Media Awards is the news media industry’s truly global digital media competition. With this award, we recognise news publishers who have delivered unique and original digital media projects. The winners of our regional digital media awards in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, South Asia and Middle East will determine the 2024 World winners. Regional awards are evaluated by independent juries. The winners from each regios compete against each other for the World Awards, where a different set of juries will evaluate the projects. The most outstanding projects are awarded as winners of the Digital Media Awards Worldwide. The winners will be announced at the World News Media Congress 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark.