Award categories include ‘best site for news-led journalism’, ‘best local/regional news site’, ‘best specialist site for journalism’, ‘best use of social media’, ‘online editor of the year’ and ‘digital writer of the year’. The judges will also pick their ‘Grand Prix Website of the Year’ and award the 2014 Chairman’s favourite entry.
Gordon Young, the Awards’ founder and current PPA Editor of the Year, said: "The Online Media Awards has very quickly established itself as an important annual event among the world’s leading online media brands. As the only awards scheme that focuses solely online, we’re delighted to be shining a light on the tremendous work being delivered by the digital writers and publishers and giving them the credit they so richly deserve.”
Last year’s winners included some of the world's leading media brands, such as The New York Times, The Financial Times, BBC, Reuters, Channel 4 News/ ITN, Al Jazeera and The Huffington Post, as well as several smaller titles including Agrimony.co.uk, Goodhousekeeping.co.uk and the Belfast Telegraph.
Now in their fourth year, the Drum Online Media Awards 2014 are sponsored by iomart and supported by the Press Gazette, the Press Association, NUJ and the Society of Editors.
Key members of this year’s judging panel have also been revealed, including: Anne Driscol, an award-winning journalist who has written for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Huffington Post and People magazine; Mark McSherry, a hugely experienced journalist who has written for Forbes.com and the London Evening Standard and is currently a Professor of Communication Arts at St Francis College, Brooklyn, New York; Matthew Storrin, who has worked for top publications such as the Boston Globe and the Chicago Sun Times.
They join Bill Hegarty, the current chairman of the British Journalism Review, and Gordon Young, publisher/editor of The Drum.
The awards are open to media owners, journalists, online publishers and editors. Full details of categories and guidance on how to enter can be found at www.onlinemediaawards.net. The closing date for entries is Friday 14th March 2014 at 5pm.
