DUBAI: Arab News, the leading English-language daily newspaper in the Middle East, won nine Awards of Excellence across more than five categories at the 44th Society for News Design’s Best of News Design Creative Competition.
For this year’s print media competition, 27 judges from around the world with expertise in journalism, new media and design reviewed nearly 2,700 entries across 11 categories during four days of judging in New York. Omar Nashashibi, head of design at Arab News, was one of the judges.
“To win nine awards across multiple categories at this year’s competition is a wonderful achievement for Arab News,” said Nashashibi.
“Seeing the high standards of the other entries firsthand — and Arab News competing with the biggest publications in the world — made it even more special.”
Designs used by Arab News for its sports coverage proved particularly popular among the judges, with the newspaper receiving multiple honors for its design work relating to stories on events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the Formula E Diriyah E-Prix.
The newspaper’s FIFA World Cup cover wrap, illustrated by The Sporting Press, won an Award of Excellence in several categories, including Front Page and Special Coverage.
Other winning entries included animated, eye-catching imagery for a story headlined “Saudi’s animal kingdom,” published on Endangered Species Day, which was honored in the combined print and digital category.
Meanwhile, the graphic design for the story “KSA prepares to tap resource-rich seas for fishing bounty” won in the Inside Pages (News) category.
“SND is one of the most prestigious competitions out there, entered by the world’s biggest and best publications, so to win nine Awards of Excellence is brilliant news for the whole team,” said Simon Khalil, consultant creative director with Arab News.
“These awards really showcase the variety of designs we create at Arab News. We utilize a broad range of illustration styles and graphic styles to ensure we keep our designs exciting for our readers.”
Founded in 1979, the Society for News Design is an international organization for news media professionals and visual communicators who create print, web and mobile publications and products. Its Best of News Design Creative Competition, considered among the most prestigious awards programs in the industry, honors excellence in visual storytelling, design and journalism.
