Building on the foundations of its four-year old podcast awards, Media Voices will hold its inaugural Publisher Newsletter Awards in July 2023.
Co-founder, Esther Kezia Thorpe said: “The Publisher Podcast Awards have been more successful than we could have imagined. We’ve attracted entries from some of the biggest publishers in the world, from The Economist to The Atlantic, The Telegraph to the Times, and the quality of our shortlists has improved every single year. We’ve been able to feed back the learnings from these award-winning podcasts via our mini podcast series, and for the first time this year, the Publisher Podcast Summit. Now, we want to replicate that winning formula for publisher newsletters, so we’re not just celebrating newsletter excellence, but sharing best practice and elevating the work publishers are doing with newsletters.”
Much like podcasting, say the organisers, the newsletter sector has exploded over the last few years with almost every leading publisher building a strong and diverse portfolio of newsletters to attract, engage and retain audiences.
Co-founder Peter Houston said: “Newsletters are becoming a standalone product for many publishers, highly targeted with their own style and personality. Commercial innovation is also keen in the sector and we think it’s important to spotlight that and share the excellent work going on in the field.”
Entries for the Publisher Newsletter Awards are expected to open in March 2023, with the winners to be revealed at a ceremony in London in July 2023. Award categories are still to be finalised, but the organisers expect there to be a close parallel with the key categories in the Publisher Podcast Awards.
Between now and March, the Media Voices team says it will be recruiting a panel of expert judges to ensure that the standard of shortlists and ultimately winners reflects the best in the business. “The 40+ judges for our Podcast Awards are our biggest asset”, said co-founder Chris Sutcliffe. “Right now, we are putting all our energy into making sure the judging team for the Newsletter Awards is every bit as strong.”
Magazine and newsletter editor Joanna Cummings will be helping the Media Voices Team launch the newsletter awards. With experience in newsstand and B2B magazines, Joanna has a solid understanding of the newsletter’s place in the publishing portfolio. And her work producing newsletters for The Story of Woman podcast, the International Magazine Centre and the Pocket Polymath give her a practical insight into what it takes to make newsletters that engage a diverse range of audiences, says Media Voices.
Joanna said: “This is so exciting. I can’t wait to start reaching out to publishers and hearing what they are doing to take the format forward. And, of course, it will be a real privilege to start speaking with the newsletter experts we’re recruiting for our judging panel.”
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