Herald Online takes out top digital honours at Canon Awards

nzherald.co.nz has been awarded the most prestigious digital awards at the 2012 Canon Awards in Auckland this evening - winning Best Website and Best Online News Site.

nzherald.co.nz editor Jeremy Rees said "This is an unprecedented win for us and something the online team are incredibly proud of. Over the past six years we've taken out the top honours six times, winning Best News website four times, including three consecutive years - 2007, 2008, 2009 and Best Website twice - 2011 and 2012."

These awards were not the only success for the website, with its coverage of the 2011 New Zealand general election receiving an award for Best Innovation in Multimedia Storytelling, and social media editor Troy Rawhiti-Forbes winning Best Website For Community Interaction.

Rees said the past year was an extraordinary year for New Zealand journalism, with significant events such as the Christchurch earthquake, Rugby World Cup and the Rena disaster.

"We've focused a lot of attention on the quality of our digital storytelling and this has really paid off with readers spending more time during a site visit on nzherald.co.nz than any other New Zealand news website*."

Herald Online owners APN News & Media won several other major awards, with the Weekend Herald getting the top newspaper honours - winning Weekly Newspaper of the Year and overall Newspaper of the Year.

Major awards won by APN

Newspaper of the Year: Weekend Herald

Best Website: nzherald.co.nz

Weekly Newspaper of the Year: Weekend Herald

Best Online News Site: nzherald.co.nz

Community Newspaper of the Year: The Star

Best Newsstand Magazine: The NZ Listener

Best Newspaper Inserted Magazine: Canvas

Newspaper of the Year (up to 30,000 circulation): Bay of Plenty Times

Other category winners

Photography

Press Photographer of the Year Senior: Alan Gibson (NZ Herald)

Best News Picture: Geoff Sloan (The Star, Christchurch)

Best Photo Essay or Slideshow: Geoff Sloan (The Star, Christchurch)

Newspapers

Reporter Business: David Fisher (Herald on Sunday)

Newspaper Feature Writer Science & Environment: Chris Barton (NZ Herald)

Newspaper Feature Writer Politics: Claire Trevett (NZ Herald)

Newspaper Feature Writer Business: Karyn Scherer (NZ Herald)

Magazines

Magazine Feature Writer Politics: Jonathan Milne (NZ Listener)

Magazine Feature Writer Arts & Entertainment: Diana Wichtel (NZ Listener)

Online

Best Innovation in Multimedia Storytelling: NZH Election 2011

Best Website Community Interaction: Troy Rawhiti-Forbes (nzherald.co.nz)

General

Best Artwork: Richard Dale (NZ Herald) Cartoonist of the Year: Guy Body (NZ Herald)

Best Headline: Nicholas Sorensen (Pagemasters/NZ Herald)

Reviewer of the Year: Russell Baillie (NZ Herald)