CJF-Meta Journalism Project Digital News Innovation Award

2023 CJF-MJP Digital Innovation Award The Narwhal

2023 Recipient: The Narwhal

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) proudly announces that The Narwhal is the winner of the 2023 CJF-Meta Journalism Project (MJP) Digital News Innovation Award. This $10,000 annual prize recognizes a news organization that powers journalism’s future through digital innovation. The jury awarded it to the Victoria, B.C.-based The Narwhal for the independent outlet’s successful expansion strategy, which last year included launching an Ontario bureau and a formula for subsequent expansion across different regions.

Jury members cited the environmental online not-for-profit publication’s success at ensuring that its revenue supported its goals, along with the careful planning that went into ensuring that the Ontario expansion would be sustainable as well as The Narwhal’s continued commitment to journalistic excellence.

“The Narwhal manages to nail it: strong journalism, an innovative approach and undeniable impact,” says jury chair Susan Harada, associate professor of journalism at the School of Journalism and Communication at Carleton University. “It maintains a personality that is fresh and unafraid, delivering journalism from a perspective rooted outside of Canadian mainstream media.”

The CJF-MJP Digital News Innovation Award promotes the work of Canadian startups, local and national news outlets, and supports new initiatives and projects. Innovation can come in a wide range of approaches, including new formats for audiences, new storytelling techniques, data-driven storytelling, new digital products produced by the newsroom, community involvement in story development, or partnerships and team approaches to reporting and producing stories.

“In the media space, we often think of innovation as content-focused or editorial-focused. But the revenue piece is one of the most crucial issues the industry must address,” says jury member and digital journalist Lisa Yeung. “The Narwhal‘s project was uniquely revenue-focused among the entries and was creative and strategic in its approach to the question all outlets must address if we want to prioritize innovation: How are we funding this?”

The Narwhal was recognized at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 13 at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto.

 

The CJF-MJP Digital Innovation Award promotes the work of Canadian startups, local and national news outlets, as well as supports new initiatives and projects. Innovation can come in a wide range, including new formats for audiences, new storytelling techniques, data-driven storytelling, new newsroom digital products, community involvement in story development, or partnerships and team approaches to reporting and producing stories.

ABOUT THE AWARD

As news organizations continue to face unprecedented challenges and demands for change, the CJF-MJP Digital News Innovation Award recognizes innovations in digital media that have a demonstrated impact in advancing the quality of digital journalism.

Innovation can come in a wide range of approaches, including (but not restricted to): new formats for audiences (e.g. mobile products, etc.); new storytelling techniques; data-driven storytelling; a new digital product produced by the newsroom; involvement of the community in story development; or partnerships or team approaches to reporting and producing stories.

It is up to individual applicants to identify and explain what is innovative about the approach or technique they are nominating, and provide evidence of audience response and engagement.

While it may have taken more than a year from concept to implementation, the impact of the innovation must have occurred in 2021.

Judges will have a particular interest in innovations that help the news organization increase the size of its audience while attracting new audiences for its journalism.

The winning news organization will receive a cash prize of $10,000, with thanks to the generous support of award sponsor Facebook Journalism Project.

JURY

View the jury.

 

PAST WINNERS

2022: New Canadian Media (NCM), an online outlet showcasing and supporting journalists from immigrant communities.

2021: Indiegraf, a startup that helps fill the gap left by the loss of local news by empowering small digital news publishers to serve diverse and underserved communities, was the recipient of the inaugural Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF)-Facebook Journalism Project Digital News Innovation Award. View the acceptance speeches by Indiegraf‘s Erin Millar, co-founder and CEO, and Caitlin Havlak, co-founder and CTO.

 

For inquiries:
Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, nturvey@cjf-fjc.ca

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

 

 

About the Meta Journalism Project
The Meta Journalism Project works with publishers around the world to strengthen the connection between journalists and the communities they serve. It also helps address the news industry’s core business challenges. Our trainings, programs, and partnerships work in three ways: build community through news, train newsrooms globally, quality through partnerships.