2012 Canon Media Awards finalists announced

2012 Canon Media Awards finalists announced

The finalists in the 2012 Canon Media Awards have been announced with the awards attracting more than 6000 individual pieces of work spanning all genres and mediums of New Zealand media.

Newspaper Publishers’ Association chief executive Tim Pankhurst says the high level of submissions has meant the international judging panel faced much deliberation choosing the finalists.

``The caliber and the strength of the submissions received by New Zealand’s media this year was some of the best we have seen since the awards inception. They certainly made the judges job very challenging.’’

``The past 12 months have seen triumph and tragedy in events which defined 2011 and were each a major focus for our national media through both written and visual content. The Rugby World Cup, an historic test cricket win over Australia, the 2011 election and unfortunately the tragic disaster of Christchurch’s February earthquake and the stranding of the Rena,’’ says Pankhurst.

``The rise to prominence of new media has been reflected in the quality and quantity of video and new applications integrated into online story telling. Investigative reporting has also produced a number of outstanding entries and this was a particularly demanding area to judge,’’ he says.

A total of 30 judges were drawn from NZ, Australia and the UK and came from magazines, newspapers, online, photography and design - a number of whom are former editors.

Yusuke Mizoguchi, Managing Director of Canon New Zealand, says they are honoured to be involved in awards which recognise the achievements of the New Zealand media industry for a second year and wish everyone all the best for the award night.

``The Canon Media Awards are a proud celebration of the talented people who shape this country’s media landscape. We are excited to be a part of an event that recognises New Zealand’s many photographers, journalists, artists, designers and subeditors; both in print and online.’’

The line up of finalists showcases a number of appearances from both national and regional publications, which can be viewed on the Canon Media Awards website.

Canon has been involved with the annual Newspaper Publishers’ Association (NPA) awards since 2006 as the sponsor of the photographic section, and now as the naming rights sponsor for the second year.

The awards dinner will be celebrated at The Pullman in Auckland on Friday May 18. For more information and a full list of finalists, visit www.canonmediaawards.co.nz

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