ZO celebrates accolades in its 50th year
Commemorating its 50th year, the ZO had another reason to celebrate with the newspaper's staff being finalists in no fewer than six categories, stretching across advertising, graphic design, editorial content, photography and digital media
THE Zululand Observer once again stamped its mark on the national community press scene with a string of accolades at the 30th annual Caxton Excellence Awards held at the Maslow Hotel in Pretoria on Thursday night.
Commemorating its 50th year, the ZO had another reason to celebrate with the newspaper’s staff being finalists in no fewer than six categories, stretching across advertising, graphic design, editorial content, photography and digital media.
But the highlight of the evening was for Best Original Idea or Innovation across the Caxton stable of more than 140 newspapers countrywide, which was won by the ZO trio of Managing Editor Ronelle Ramsamy, Editor-in-Chief Dave Savides and Graphic Designer Theresa Botha for their entry Soccer Shoot-Out.
While the judges were overwhelmed by the number of innovative and brand-new ideas, the panel said what set the ZO apart was the ‘incorporation of the existing print brand and online offerings to innovatively solve long existing challenges’.
‘Undoubtedly the biggest global sporting event, the Zululand Observer used the soccer world cup to not only increase its circulation in print and its online footprint, but also to run a catchy competition to market its brand and create revenue benefits using both print and online. This idea generated revenue, huge reader involvement and interaction while also creating great team building for the staff,’ said the judging panel.
But that was not the only accolade for the night. Journalist Val van der Walt was tied runner-up in the category Best Regular Column for his popular Zululand Letter in the ZO Monday editions.
Finalists
On the advertising and design front, the ZO team of Theresa Botha, Tanya Smit, Daleen Swart and Tamlyn Jolly were finalists in the category Best Major Advertisement Feature for their entry Let’s Travel to St Lucia.
Theresa Botha, Tanya Smit and Mari Scott were finalists again in the same category for the vibrant and colourful tourism feature Discover Zululand 2018.
The ZO’s Classifieds department also fared well at the national awards with Wouter Koen and Carina Briel named finalists in the Classified Advertisement Feature category for the Zululand Service Guide.
Seasoned photographer Larry Bentley was a finalist in the prestigious Photographer of the Year as well as Human Interest Photo categories.
Rewarded for his witty and impactful headlines, Carl de Villiers was a finalist in the Best Headline Writing category.
ZO Editor-in-Chief Dave Savides said there were a number of positive factors in this year’s awards success.
‘We have had a number of regular winners from our staff over the years and it’s good to see new names on the honours list, showing both continuity and consistency at the highest level.
‘We continue to be a benchmark for the local press and this augers well for our readers and advertisers, who once again have received confirmation that we have a product that maximises their marketing spend.
‘I’m extremely proud of our achievements.’
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