Winners of IFRA's 2009 XMA Cross Media Awards Announced

By: E&P Staff Evaluating the general idea and mission; impact and results; combined use of print and online channels; a company's logo and its use of color and typography, jurors have chosen the winners of IFRA's 2009 XMA Cross Media Awards, held this year in cooperation with the Society of News Design.

With the focus on design and branding (next year?s awards will focus on publishing for mobile devices), 11 educators, researchers, design editors and consultants from six countries reviewed submissions from 26 publications in 16 countries, from which winners were named in three circulation categories.

Winners were credited with extending well-known newspaper brands beyond conventional notions of news and advertising, and attracting new audiences.

Below 100,000 circulation, Romanian media group Realitatea Catavencu won for a section of its Business Standard daily and for a government-business events project that grew into various online, broadcast and print components. Second place went to the Herald Express, Torquay, England, and third place to Diari de Balears, Mallorca.

Winner in the 100,000 to 250,000 circulation range, Croatia?s 24Sata succeeded across print, online, mobile and Web TV. Germany?s GZ Medien, Hessen, for its highly local, all resident-generated Giessener Zeitung. Another Croatian multimedia company, Vecernji, took third place.

Among the highest-circulation entries, Germany?s Axel Springer won first and second place, respectively, for Die Welt?s multiple-media efforts and Bild?s ?Build Your Advertisement? campaign. Spain?s Unidad Editorial was arded third place for its sports daily, Marca.

For details on the annual contest and this year?s winners, go here.