Nation Media Group (NMG) has scooped six awards in the 2021 Global Media Awards organised by the International News Media Association (INMA).
In a ceremony broadcast on INMA.org, YouTube, and Facebook Live, NMG was listed among 58 first-place winners across 20 categories on surfacing innovation and best practices in news brands, optimising use of media platforms, subscriptions, business development, and data and insights.
NMG was one of the regional winners in the competition which included Stuff (Asia/Pacific), Mittelbayerische Zeitung (Europe), El Colombiano (Latin America), The Globe and Mail (North America) and Hindustan Times (South Asia).
The “Nation Leadership Forum” was feted as the best not only in Africa but also in use of an event to build a news brand category, where it took first place.
Kusi Ideas Festival 2020, another NMG product, was ranked second in the category of best use of an event to build a news brand.
The Daily Nation rebrand emerged second place in the best use of print category, while Nation.Africa got an honourable mention in the best product and tech innovation category, and for the best use of audio.
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NMG Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stephen Gitagama said the win was a sign that “NMG’s digital transformation strategy is working and getting noticed”.
“We are excited to win these awards, being the best in some of the categories, including those where we got honourable mentions. We are committed to offering good quality to our audience and doing better,” he said.
“This win is a demonstration of the kind of media house NMG is. It is indeed a testimony that we offer quality that stands out. It is also a sign that we have the right staff, who we are proud of. I wish to thank them, together with the management and board, for the support that has seen us get recognised.”
The awards come three weeks after NMG won the IF Design Awards 2021 for an outstanding digital platform - Nation.Africa.
NMG Group Editorial Director Mutuma Mathiu said the awards mean international recognition the NMG brand.
“This is a demonstration of respect for our innovation and professionalism. The Nation has a few peers in the continent. This win is a challenge for us to continue applying ourselves so that we get better,” he said.
Clifford Machoka, NMG Head of External Affairs and Marketing, said the awards are a testament to the high-quality content that NMG has committed to deliver to its audience.
“It is a recognition of the quality of NMG’s journalism, which we are proud of. We are honoured to receive the global recognition, which is in line with our mission to expand our audience not only in the region, but also Africa and the world."
Nairobi Metropolitan Services Director-General Mohammed Badi, Nation Media Group Editorial Director Mutuma Mathiu, NMG CEO Stephen Gitagama, Interior minister Fred Matiangi, NMG chair Wilfred Kiboro and ICT CS Joe Mucheru during the launch of Nation.Africa at Serena Hotel in Nairobi on September 4, 2020.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
The 2021 Global Media Awards competition attracted 644 entries from 212 news media brands in 37 countries.
Participants included newspaper, magazine, digital, television and radio media.
Eleven companies won multiple first-place awards. Germany's Mittelbayerische Zeitung won the coveted ‘Best in Show” award, alongside its collaborative “Drive” initiative of regional German publishers sharing data, resources and insights to support their digital subscription strategy.
Russmedia in Austria took home five top prizes, followed by Amedia in Norway and NZME in New Zealand with three first-place awards.
Eight others garnered two first places: Aftenposten, Funke Mediengruppe, Göteborgs-Posten, Hindustan Times, News Corp Australia, Newsday Media Group, Nine, and Ringier Axel Springer.
The INMA competition evaluates news media companies across three segments: national brands, regional brands, and — for the first time — media groups.
“Not surprisingly, the outstanding entries in this year’s competition leaned heavily into Covid-19 responses along with shifting priorities during a tumultuous year: product, data, and subscriptions,” said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA.
He added: “Another underlying theme was communicating the values held by news brands amid the misinformation explosion and the rise of algorithms, data and machine learning in the everyday running of a media company.”
