The Society for News Design has announced the winners of the 44th edition of its Best of News Design Creative Competition. ProPublica’s “The Night Raids” was named Best in Show in the medium newsroom category. The four Best in Show winners were chosen out of over 1,800 entries.
This deeply reported and personal story, by Lynzy Billing, unravels the legacy of the secretive U.S.-backed Zero Units that killed countless civilians in Afghanistan. The ProPublica investigation shed new light on the CIA’s “classified” war in Afghanistan, where lines of accountability were so obscured that no one had to answer for operations that went wrong.
“‘The Night Raids’ is a meticulous and powerful work of journalism elevated by a beautiful, haunting design,” wrote one of the judges of the competition. “The animations and photography are restrained and evocative. Thoughtful timelines and navigation elements guide the reader through a lengthy narrative. Truly a masterclass in longform storytelling.”
Another judge said, “the animations tapped for this package were incredibly well-chosen. From the style to the color palette, to the motions and choices of where to go with animation shorts, this was an impeccably art-directed convergence of text, motion graphics, archive photo and animated shorts. This was a world-class example of journalism and visuals.”
“The Night Raids” also won a silver medal in the Elements: Animation Design category. “America’s Highest Earners And Their Taxes Revealed” won a bronze medal in the Design: Business category.
Additionally, ProPublica received 11 Awards of Excellence:
- “The Night Raids” — Elements: Video design
- “America’s Highest Earners And Their Taxes Revealed” — InfoGfx: Business
- “The Tragedy of North Birmingham” — InfoGfx: Environment & Science
- “The U.S. Never Banned Asbestos. These Workers Are Paying the Price.” — InfoGfx: Health
- “How Jessica Logan’s Call for Help Became Evidence Against Her” — Audio Design and Multimedia/Interactive Module
- “Rent Going Up? One Company’s Algorithm Could Be Why.” — In-House Illustration
- “Lights Out: Profitable Utility Company Shut Off Electricity to Homes Hundreds of Thousands of Times” — Commissioned Illustration
- “Building the ‘Big Lie’: Inside the Creation of Trump’s Stolen Election Myth” — Commissioned Illustration
- ProPublica Graphics Portfolio — Information Graphics Portfolio (Organization)
- Lisa Larson-Walker Portfolio — Art Direction/Illustration Portfolio (Individual)
See a list of all the winners.
