Newspaper Association of South Africa announces finalists

Areas examined include advertising, printing and production, layout and typography, as well as the balance between the use of pictures and graphics.

Criteria for the awards - which have been presented for a collective 109 years - are set by the industry and aim to encourage and reward publishers who stand out in their production of quality products.

A total of 16 daily and 24 weekly newspapers entered this year's awards.

The judging panel is made up of recognised industry experts: Clive Loxton, creative faculty head of the AAA School of Advertising; Logan Naidu, learnerships and apprenticeships specialist at Mappp-seta; Marilyn du Toit, lecturer in graphic design at the AAA School of Advertising, and Linda Rademan, lecturer in art direction at the AAA School of Advertising.

Convenor of judges Clive Loxton noted that the work entered this year demonstrates that the industry can be proud of the high standards it is achieving. “With the global economic recession threatening our prosperity, it's reassuring to know the fundamentals of our craft are in place.”

The finalists are:

The Frewin Award for urban daily newspapers with a circulation above 50 000: