Best of Digital: Gold to New York Times for Simone Biles profile

  • February 26, 2017
Society for News Design

The New York Times has won Gold for its profile of Olympic gymnast Simone Biles; this piece also won Gold in the Features category.

Category: Special events: 2016 Summer Olympic Games
Title: Simone Biles
Link: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/08/05/sports/olympics-gymnast-simone-biles.html

Comments: “This is a cool concept. Simone Biles is excellent, as is discovered in this piece. What she does and how she does lends itself to this form. It’s incredible from so many angles, then in reverse and the flow and the physics, it’s smart. It shows Simone’s power. Better than a static video because you can stop it at important places in the athlete’s movement and play and replay it over and over. Video is then so well curated and appropriately inserted. No wasted quotes or audio. They set you up and then at the end let you know she’s been doing this since she was a kid. They could have stopped at the tumbling routine but they continue and make the case for an all-around gymnast. Camera work is tight and artistic. Well executed and multiple appropriate and integrated media choices. Elegant. Pushing Olympic storytelling.”