Nunatsiaq News’ award-winning tradition continues

IQALUIT — Nunatsiaq News’ award-winning tradition continues, with Nunavut’s newspaper of record scoring impressive results in Quebec and Ontario community newspaper competitions for 1999.

Nunatsiaq News is a member of both the Quebec and Ontario Community Newspaper Associations.

In the Ontario Community Newspapers Association’s 1999 Better Newspapers Competition, Nunatsiaq News won four awards.

They are:

* First place in the OCNA’s Best Online Edition competition. “A very relevant site that speaks loud and clear to its community with a simple but effective layout, interesting and copious content and targeted advertising,” judges’ said of Nunatsiaq News’ web site at www.nunatsiaq.com.
* First place for best Special Section in the 6,001 and over circulation category, for Nunatsiaq News’ April 1, 1999 edition, “Nunavut ‘99.”
* Second place in the Best General Interest Column competition, for Rachel Qitsualik’s “Nunani” column. “She has the type of column that could make readers first turn to her page before reading anything else,” judges said.
* Third place for Blanket Classified Sales.
* In the Quebec Community Newspapers Association’s 1999 competion, Nunatsiaq News has been nominated for awards in nine separate categories.
* This guarantees that Nunatsiaq News will finish no worse than third in each of these QCNA contest categories:
* Best Overall Newspaper
* Best Front Page (November 26, 1999 issue)
* Best Special Section (the April 1, 1999 “Nunavut ‘99” issue)
* Best Community Newspaper Promotion (“Nunavut ‘99” issue)
* Best Ad
* Best Web Site
* Best Editorial, Local Affairs (“The Idiot Factor,” by Jim Bell, February 12, 1999)
* Best Editorial, General (“Canada’s Telecommunications Slum,” by Jim Bell, January 29, 1999)
* Best Photo Essay (Axel Heiberg Island: Ancient Remains, Contemporary Quarrels, by Jane George, July 23, 1999)

The QCNA will announce final contest winners at its 20th annual general meeting, to be held May 26 in Valleyfield, Quebec.

Nunatsiaq News’ colleagues at the Yellowknife-based News North won three awards in the Ontario Community Newspapers Association’s 1999 Better Newspapers Competition: first place in the Best Business/Finance Story competition, second place in the Best Technically Enhanced Photo competition, and second place in the best In-House Promotion competition.