Wan-Ifra, the World Association of News Publishers, has announced the finalists for the Digital Media Awards 2026, a global competition celebrating excellence in news publishing — with South African news organisations dominating the African list.
The winners will be announced in June. Source: Supplied.
From 811 entries received across APAC, South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, 278 have been named finalists, representing the most outstanding work in digital journalism, product innovation, and audience engagement from 78 countries. Top-performing finalists from each region will advance to compete for the global title in each of the 12 categories, with winners announced at the World News Media Congress 2026 on 2 June in Marseille. At stake is more than just a trophy – it's the global recognition that accompanies the hardware.
Meet the African finalists
Best News Website or App Relaunch
- Daily Sun – The People’s Paper, Digitally Reimagined | Daily Sun | South Africa
- Netwerk24 Newsroom Transformation | Netwerk24 | South Africa
Best in Countering Disinformation
- Exposed: The Fake News Factory | News24 | South Africa
- X-Boer Unmasked | News24 | South Africa
Best Emerging News Providers
- Novanews.co.za | Novus Media | South Africa
- Willow Health Explainers | Willow Health Media | Kenya
- Willow Health Media – Emerging Health Journalism for Africa | Willow Health Media | Kenya
Best Reader Revenue Strategy
- News24: A Converged Commerce Strategy | Media24 – News24 | South Africa
Best AI-driven News Product, Format or Strategy
- Ask Aunty Chatbot | Raseef22 | Egypt
- EditorialEye | Briefly News | South Africa
- Framing Gaza | Daraj, Saheeh Masr | Egypt
- Impact Engine: An AI-powered tool for impact tracking and planning | Daily Maverick | South Africa
Best Newsletter
- WeekendPost Extra | WeekendPost Newspaper | Botswana
Best in Audience Engagement
- News24 WhatsApp Channel | News24 | South Africa
- Political Discourse: Mkhwanazi Coverage | Daily Sun | South Africa
- Rapport/Netwerk24’s 100 Best Afrikaans Books | Rapport/Netwerk24 | South Africa
- Sema Na Z: The Youth Voice Project | Nation Media Group | Kenya
Most Innovative Digital Product
- A Re Buwe | Daily Sun | South Africa
- Ask an Expert | Daily Sun | South Africa
- SOJO QuickInsights | Nigeria Health Watch | Nigeria
Best Use of Video
- Hunted – Tracked, traced and eliminated: How Mpho Mafole was murdered | News24 | South Africa
- Lost sons of Kenya | TUKO.co.ke | Kenya
- Samidat: In the Face of War | The New Arab | Egypt
- The price of silence: Exposing the IDT bribe attempt on journalist Africa International | Daily Maverick | South Africa
Best Use of Audio
- Vape Universe | Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism | South Africa
- West Africa’s Borderless Women: Inside the Yoruba Sisterhood Linking Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire | RM Times | Nigeria
- Youth-Led Audio Storytelling Lab | Izuba Radio & TV | Rwanda
Best Data Visualisation
- From Cradle to Future: Why childhood vaccination is protecting Kenya’s generations | Willow Health Media | Kenya
- The Vanishing Lifeline: Can Kenya’s Healthcare System Survive Without US Funding? | Willow Health Media | Kenya
- What data can tell us about South Africa’s child literacy problem and how to solve it | TheOutlier.co.za | South Africa
Best Marketing Campaign for a News Brand
- Netwerk24 het GROOT NUUS (Netwerk24 has BIG NEWS) | Netwerk24 (Media24) | South Africa
- Stand Up and Be Counted | Food For Mzansi | South Africa
Find the rest of the winners here.
