The Results of the Seventh European Newspaper Award



The Results of the Seventh European Newspaper Award The European Newspaper Award is a European newspaper design competition which is taking place for the seventh time now. The competition is organized by the newspaper designer Norbert Küpper from Meerbusch (Germany) in co-operation with the journalists' magazines Medium Magazin (Frankfurt) and Der Österreichische Journalist (The Austrian Journalist). The chief prizewinners: As the four main newspaper genres such as local paper, regional paper, national paper and weekly differ considerably, they are awarded by the jury separately so that four chief awards can be presented each year. This year the category 'weekly' won two chief awards. Europe's Best Designed Newspaper Category: Local Paper Östersunds Posten, Sweden Europe's Best Designed Newspaper Category: Regional Paper Kleine Zeitung, Graz, Austria Europe's Best Designed Newspaper Category: National Paper The Guardian, Great Britain Europe'e Best Designed Newspaper Category: Weekly Die Zeit , Germany Kauppalehti Presso, Helsinki, Finland Judges' Special Recognition Diário de Noticias, Lisbon, Portugal Except for the weekly Die Zeit, all chief prizewinners are published in tabloid format. All of them recorded a slight rise in print runs in the past years. Die Zeit, e.g., could increase their circulation by 3 per cent during the past two years. It seems that the chief award winners are the first in the newspapers' competition for readers. On the whole print runs in Europe are slightly decreasing. Details on the chief award winners: Local paper: Östersunds Posten, Östersund , Sweden. The paper sells 31,200 copies. In comparison to the year 2002 they recorded an increase by 1,600 copies. It is published in a half Nordic format. Jury Statement: Östersunds Posten shows great visual clarity and balance. A recurrent feature are very large lead picture on the front page and on inside pages. The lead article is pointed out by the size of its headline, news items are clustered in columns. In contrast to other papers in the same format the headlines in Östersunds Posten are not too big and, therefore, contribute to its balanced and relaxed appeal. The sectional front pages have a larger heading. They contain quotations, news items and the editorial staff's contact addresses , all of which results in an optimal reader guidance. Another highlight is their weekend supplement "Lørdag": It is marked by generous white space, its photographic sizes and illustrations. Regional Paper: Kleine Zeitung, Graz, Austria.They sold 264,253 copies (third quarter in 2005). Compared to the previous year their number of subcriptions rose by 7,491. It is issued in the half Berlin format. Jury Statement: With the Kleine Zeitung their name is self-explanatory: Already in their year of foundation 1904 the paper appeared in its present handy format. The editorial staff is well trained in putting the small size at full advantage. Instead of using large unstructured text blocks they present their information within a clear structure. Breakers, quotations, infographics and info boxes ficilitate the intake of information. An especially innovative feature is their appealing presentation of topics: Instead of producing lengthy articles of their own they let individual characters get a word in and show their portraits. National Paper: The Guardian, Great Britain. This newspaper was completely redesigned in September 2005, and its format reduced from the Nordic to the Berlin format. Their print run is ca 400,000 copies. Jury Statement: The Guardian has been given a new format , a new column-width, new typefaces, a new house colour and a new masthead. Despite of all these changes the newspaper has kept its identity because their page make-up and their use of visuals has not been altered. The Guardian is an exciting example of how extensive redesign and preservation of characterictic features can go together. A special success is their reduction to the Berlin format so that they can continue to separate the paper into individual sections. Weekly: Die Zeit, Germany. This newspaper has a circulation of 466,684 copies (IVW 3/05) and recorded a rise by 3 per cent in comparison to the year 2003. It is published in the Nordic format. Jury Statement: This newspaper is the epitome of a classic: It is marked by its large size and its lengthy articles - features that have remained with this paper since it was founded. In recent years, however, reforms have been carried out like the bold design of the front page, which visualizes the topic of the week most effectively. Inside pages show remarkable photographic sizes, cuts and illustrations of topics. The increase in circulation by 3 per cent is self-explanatory : It is obvious that their concept is well received on the market. Kauppalehti Presso, Helsinki, Finland. This weekly was founded in 2004. Its print run comprises 50,000 copies and it is issued in a half Nordic format. Jury Statement: Kauppalehti is an imaginative newly designed weekly from Northern Europe. With its short articles and generous double pages containing longer articles and large picture it resembles a magazine. The visual language is aggressive. The paper rather aims at a younger target group. Judges' Special Recognition: DNA, the weekend supplement of the newspaper Diário de Noticías, has been awarded at the competion for many years now. Their strong and distinguishing features are photo reportages, photo essays, and issues devoted to a single topic.