The New York Times on Monday earned Best in Show at the SND Creative Competition, for its combination print/digital presentation of “The Displaced,” a series of stories highlighting the plight of refugee children around the globe.
The package offered striking use of photography in print, and an immersive virtual reality experience.
This marks the third time the Times has earned Best in Show honors in the 37 years of the SND competition, and its first since 2001.
Here is what the judges, who voted 18-0 on the award, had to say:
20 Combination print / digital
The New York Times
The Displaced
This became a no-doubt Silver and a no-doubt Gold in our minds, even before you get to the Google Cardboard portion. There are beautifully laid out photo journeys that take us to a world we’d never be able to travel to otherwise. The way this story takes you from the moments captured in print, the moments captured in the static photos, then transcending that with the digital and immersive experience. The print platform was amazing, the digital portion was amazing, the Google Reader experience was amazing … they all complemented each other and worked together, while also telling these strong separate stories. It made you feel like you’re there. There are elements that connect all the pieces, the typography and tone carries through. The photos give it a dense feeling while the pacing and edit gives you relief. With new technology, it can feel like we’re doing something just because we can. But this was purposeful, it matched the content, it connects you to the story. This stands out from the crowd, it’s rare to see an innovation in our field that makes you pause to think about what the future holds for our lives and professions going forward. You’re not seeing through a window anymore, you’re experiencing their hardships and their point of view and their lives. That struggle is very emotional. Newspapers can tell a great story and use the right tools — this accomplishment is not necessarily just about making virtual reality or impressive technology. It’s about creating an empathy and connection with the struggles of these displaced refugee families. It’s about furthering storytelling and the standards we uphold for ourselves as journalists and for our readers.
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Overall, 906 awards were given out by the judging teams gathered in Syracuse, N.Y.
This includes 862 Awards of Excellence, 34 Silver Medals, 5 Gold Medals, and 2 Judges Special Recognitions. The medal winners can be viewed here. Judges also have decided on the winners of the World’s Best Designed Newspaper prizes, which will be announced at the SND Annual Workshop & Exhibition in San Francisco in April.
Official results, with a searchable database of all the winners, will be posted soon.
The top 10 award winners, according to the unofficial tally:
Washington Post — 85
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer — 80
Los Angeles Times — 68
National Post (Canada) — 53
Boston Globe — 46
The New York Times — 45
Politiken (Denmark) — 31
National Geographic Magazine — 31
Minneapolis Star Tribune — 25
South China Morning Post — 22
Buffalo News — 22