The Society for News Design is proud to announce the results of the 2016 Edition of its Best of Digital Design Competition. 14 judges, from across the United States and around the globe, reviewed nearly 1,000 entries during two days of judging at Northwestern University’s Medill campus in Washington, D.C.
This is the sixth year of the competition, which uniquely honors journalistic, visual and technical excellence. Winners will be celebrated at The Society’s annual Workshop in Charlotte, April 19–21. A list of finalists for the World’s Best award will be announced later this week. Nearly 60 publications received an award, including:
- 5 Gold Medals
- 27 Silver Medals
- 271 Awards of Excellence
Please contact competition coordinators Ryan Sparrow and Jeremy Gilbert with any questions. A full spreadsheet of results is available here and browsable below.
Gold Medals:
Five entries received Gold Medals, the highest award of the digital competition. These projects define state of the art, stretching the limits of creativity both visually and technically.
- Simone Biles: The Fine Line, The New York Times (This entry received two gold medals; one in the features category and a second in the Olympics Special Events category)
- Blue Feed, Red Feed, The Wall Street Journal (Full citation)
- Concrete Divisions, Washington Post (Full citation)
- ‘A Bullet Could Hit Me and My Kids Anytime,’ The New York Times (Full citation)
Silver Medals:
27 entries were awarded Silver Medals, which signify work that goes beyond excellence
- The Washington Post (Organizational Portfolio)
- The New York Times (Organizational Portfolio)
- A Trail of Terror in Nice, Block by Block (The New York Times)
- Berlin City Marathon 2016 (Morgen Post)
- Under Our Skin: Talk About Race (Seattle Times)
- ‘They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals’ (The New York Times)
- Poems in Motion (Washington Post)
- A Marine’s Convictions (Washington Post)
- A Bear’s-Eye View of Yellowstone (National Geographic)
- Arresting Words (Boston Globe)
- The Global Tech Issue (Bloomberg)
- Inside the Orlando Night Club (The New York Times)
- The Two Americas of 2016 (The New York Times)
- Memoria Robada (La Nacion)
- Rewind the Red Planet (National Geographic)
- How Does Hamilton Blur Musical Lines? (Wall Street Journal)
- Mariah Carey (Vice News)
- The New York Issue (The New York Times Magazine)
- Refugee Coverage (Washington Post)
- Election Coverage (Washington Post)
- Election Coverage (The Guardian)
- Olympics Coverage (Washington Post)
- Decisive Moments (The New York Times)
- Usain Bolt (The New York Times)
- Progressive Web App (Washington Post)
- Watching (The New York Times)
- 6×9: A VR Experience of Solitary Confinement (The Guardian)
Awards of Excellence
271 entries received an Award of Excellence, which highlights work that goes beyond technical or aesthetic competency and can honor daring and innovative approaches. See below or the full spreadsheet for a full list of award winners.
Judging Teams:
Features:
- Jessica Gilbert, digital creative director, McClatchy
- Bethany Powell, digital creative director, National Geographic
- Javier Zarracina, graphics editor, Vox
Graphics and Portfolios:
- Allison McCann, data reporter, Vice
- Hannah Fairfield, climate editor, The New York Times
- Xaquín G.V., former editor of visuals, The Guardian
News and Special Events:
- Alyson Hurt, graphics editor, NPR
- Douglas Okasaki, senior designer, Gulf News; President, SND
- Josh Penrod, presentation director for digital and print, Minneapolis Star Tribune
World’s Best Team:
- Jessica Yu, former head of visuals, The Wall Street Journal
- Mariana Santos, CEO, Chicas Poderosas and Unicorn Interactive
- Martin Kotynek, deputy editor-in-chief, Zeit Online
- Kat Downs Mulder, graphics director, The Washington Post
Judges to resolve conflicts: Sisi Wei, deputy news apps editor at ProPublica; and Matt Mansfield, senior vice president at CQ Roll Call.
Coordinators and Facilitators: Ryan Sparrow, Jeremy Gilbert, Tyson Evans, Joey Marburger, Stephen Komives, Paige Connor, Sisi Wei.