SND47 Creative Competition awards announced after global judging of 4,300 entries

Featuring dual-site judging in Berkeley and Singapore, SND47 convened 41 international judges to evaluate thousands of submissions and recognize the best in global news design and visual journalism.

Over four days across time zones and continents, 41 judges from around the world convened to evaluate some 4,300 entries submitted for the Society for News Design's 47th edition of its Creative Competition, SND47.

The jury - mainly working in Reuters' office in Singapore and in Clark Kerr Campus at the University of California, Berkeley in the San Francisco Bay Area - awarded 1,298 Awards of Excellence, 268 Bronze Medals, 72 Silver Medals and 24 Gold Medals.

The final results are now browsable on the SND47 results page.

"The Society recognizes the best work in news design and visual journalism across all disciplines and platforms from around the world," said SND President Jon Wile. "Looking at the work that wins an award is always inspiring and energizing, and this year was no different."

The judging pool included a diverse group of individuals, including practitioners from organizations such as the New York Times and the ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation); independent experts such as Andy Kirk of VisualisingData.com; and academics such as Susan Mango Curtis, Emeritus Professor of Digital Literacy and Visual Storytelling at Medill at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. in the United States.

Awards were given in categories that span platforms and disciplines, ranging from print to social to digital, and from infographics to product design. Student and non-editorial entries were also folded into the contest. Judges also selected seven total finalists for World's-Best Designed, with three in print and four in digital.

The last day of judging featured a landmark synchronized discussion to select Best In Show for micro/small organizations and medium/large organizations, World's Best Designer and World's Best Emerging Designer. Over Zoom, judges in Berkeley and Singapore nominated, debated and voted on SND's highest individual and publication-wide honors, highlighting the organization's uniquely global perspective on the practice of journalism.

Creative Competition Chair and SND Board Member Tyler Remmel conducts SND47 Best In Show discussions at U.C. Berkeley's Clark Kerr Campus on Thursday, April 23. Photo by Dakota Hendren

These are the organizations with the greatest number of total awards this year:

1. The New York Times
2. The Washington Post
3. The Straits Times
4. Reuters
5. South China Morning Post
6. DIE ZEIT
7. National Geographic
8. The Minnesota Star Tribune
9. ProPublica
10. POLITIKEN

The finalists for World's-Best Designed in print are De Volksrant (Netherlands), Die Zeit (Germany) and Weekendavisen (Denmark). The digital finalists are the New York Times, ProPublica, the Pudding and the Washington Post.

"The finalists for World's Best truly shows how global an organization SND has become over the years," said Wile. "It's remarkable to see the work done by these organizations that have such different resources and staffing levels. Congratulations to all of the finalists and thank you for the tremendous work your organizations do."

Results for Best In Show, World's Best Designer and World's Best Emerging Designer, and the winners of World's-Best Designed will be released on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

In Singapore

This year's Creative Competition was the first to feature dual-site judging, including a landmark first-ever SND Workshop event in Southeast Asia.

The Singapore site was hosted by Rebecca Pazos, Asia Graphics Editor for Reuters and SND Secretary, and was sponsored by Reuters, the Straits Times and American City Business Journals.

"Now, more than ever, it's important to keep finding ways to bring our community together - even if that means gathering in different places across the globe," Pazos said. "It was an incredible few days here in Singapore filled with creativity, inspiration and a lot of heart."

The Singapore Workshop, SND47 Singapore, was held at SPH Auditorium and included lectures on storytelling, data journalism, inspiration, redesign and accessibility. More than 100 journalists from around the region attended the event.

"Innovative design keeps audiences engaged and strengthens market presence, supporting circulation," said TK Sajeev Kumar, founder and editorial director of NewspaperDesign.org in his lecture on the impact of design in India. Kumar also served as a judge in Singapore and is an SND Board member.

In the San Francisco Bay Area

Across the Pacific, the Berkeley site was co-hosted by Jeremy Sanchez Rue, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Practice in Journalism at the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and by Alex K. Fong, Creative Director of the San Francisco Chronicle and SND Vice President.

Rue also served on the jury this year.

SND47 Berkeley was sponsored by American City Business Journals, the San Francisco Chronicle and the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Judging was held at the Clark Kerr campus, which was built in 1949 as the California School of the Deaf and the Blind. The site, featuring Spanish-style architecture, was entered in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and renamed in honor of U.C. Berkeley's first chancellor in 1986.

From left, Mark Belan of Quanta Magazine, Javier Errea of Errea Communications and Brian Gross, former Head of the Design Department at the Washington Post, are seen during SND47 judging at Clark Kerr Campus. Photo by Dakota Hendren Clarice Bajkowski, Chief Creative Officer at The 19th, and Jan Diehm, Interim Editorial Director and a Journalist Engineer at The Pudding, served as judges at SND47. Photo by Dakota Hendren

A free Student Session and the Workshop were held at Logan Media Center in North Gate Hall, home of Berkeley's journalism school.

New York Times Graphics Editor and SND Board Member Marco Hernandez taught 25 students in a collaboration with Washington Post designer and SND Board member Zachary Balcoff on April 20. Participants of the two-hour hands-on activity included students of the Berkeley graduate school, Michigan State University and the City College of San Francisco.

Transformation caused by industry-wide restructuring (including the dismantling of the Washington Post design team) alongside rapidly increasing disruptive technological events (such as the rise of artificial intelligence), was the theme of the SND47 Berkeley workshop, which was a hybrid in-person and virtual event on April 24.

"Ultimately, our task is not defined by the method but by its purpose: A carrying of fire, like Prometheus, to light the darkness," Fong said in his opening remarks. "Or, to quote another Boss, 'You can't start a fire without a spark.' I hope today helps you realize that we are those sparks."

SND47 Berkeley was recorded. A video of a majority of the sessions is forthcoming and will be made available to SND members for free. A lecture by Anna Thurfjell, Founder and Brand Creative Director of Anna Thurfjell Studio and an SND47 judge, on a case study involving designing AI-curated news is embargoed until its subject has been officially released to the public.

President's Awards and the Steve Dorsey Volunteer Award

During both workshops, Wile recognized individuals for their contributions to SND.

Recipients of the President's Award include Hernandez; Kumar; Pazos; Competition Committee Chair and SND Board Member Tyler Remmel of the Washington Post; competition Logistics Chair Stephanie Hays of the Washington Post; competition Communications and Outreach Chair Stephanie Redding of American City Business Journals.

Kumar is the first person from India to receive an SND President's Award.

Wile also recognized Fong with the Steve Dorsey Volunteer Award, which honors individuals whose commitment to service mirrors that of its namesake, an SND past president and lifetime achievement award winner who has selflessly contributed to the SND community for three decades and counting. Fong is the third recipient of the award in its history. Dorsey was the first, and Greg Mees, past Competition Committee chair and a deputy managing editor at the Minnesota Star-Tribune, was the second.

"Steve has been both a friend and a mentor who believed in me while still coaxing more out of me than I thought was possible," Fong said. "He is among the very best of us. I would not be vice president now if he had not asked me to give back to SND a few years ago. To receive this award bearing his name and to receive it from Jon, one of SND's finest presidents in history, is a deep honor. I shall endeavor to continue to meet the measure of this award, Steve's example and Jon's faith, friendship and guidance."

Come back on Tuesday, April 28, when we reveal the winners of Best In Show.