Bangladesh’s leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star have earned multiple awards and honorable mentions at the INMA Global Media Awards 2026, competing among 274 news organizations from 46 countries.
The winners of the INMA Global Media Awards 2026 were announced on Wednesday night, May 6, at the Tipi am Kanzleramt auditorium in Berlin, Germany, in the presence of more than 400 guests. From a record-breaking 960 entries submitted by 274 media organizations across 46 countries, the winners were selected by an international jury panel of 60 media executives representing 26 countries. A total of 41 first prizes were awarded across 20 categories. The overall “Best in Show” award went to The Wall Street Journal of the United States for its AI-powered investigative journalism tool, “Orca.”
For Bangladesh, the awards ceremony brought special pride. The country’s two leading news organizations — Bangla-language daily Prothom Alo and English-language newspaper The Daily Star — received multiple awards and honorable mentions in different categories. Prothom Alo secured third-place awards in three categories and received honorable mentions in two others. Meanwhile, The Daily Star won third place in the “Best Initiative to Develop Younger Readers” category among national brands for its “National Newspaper Olympiad” initiative, which transformed newspaper reading into a nationwide youth movement.
Complete list of Bangladesh’s recognitions:
Prothom Alo
Honorable Mention — Brand Awareness, National Brands: “HHH: Stand Tall”
Prothom Alo
Honorable Mention — Public Service Campaign, National Brands: “Alokobortika: Rewriting the Future in Bangladesh’s Forgotten Regions”
Prothom Alo
Third Prize — Best Event to Build a News Brand, National Brands: “NextGen Achievers: Inspiring and Recognizing Future Leaders”
The Daily Star
Third Prize — Best Initiative to Develop Younger Readers, National Brands: “National Newspaper Olympiad: Transforming Reading into a National Youth Movement”
The Wall Street Journal’s winning project “Orca” is a powerful investigative journalism tool that has transformed thousands of hours of podcasts into a searchable and analyzable archive. Using the tool, journalists can trace topics, sources, and patterns of influence across audio content, strengthening accountability journalism. “Orca” also won first prize in the “Best Use of Artificial Intelligence” category among national brands, as well as the award for best project in North America. The success of The Wall Street Journal sent another clear message: artificial intelligence is no longer experimental — it is becoming a core part of modern journalism.
The regional winners also reflected the diversity of global media innovation. South Africa’s Media24 won best in Africa, Australia’s ACM/Explore won in Asia-Pacific, Germany’s Bauer Media won in Europe, Argentina’s Clarín won in Latin America, and India’s Dainik Jagran won in South Asia. Dainik Jagran’s “Lights, Cities, Action” initiative became the most awarded project of the event, winning the South Asia regional award along with four separate first-place honors.
INMA Executive Director and CEO Earl J. Wilkinson said,
“This year’s winning entries clearly show that artificial intelligence has moved beyond experimentation and into the core of strategic media operations. At the same time, our members are balancing this business maturity with renewed commitments to human-centered, local, and immersive journalism.”
Another major message from this year’s awards was that strategic innovation and editorial purpose are not opposing forces in journalism — they strengthen each other. At a time of misinformation and growing public polarization, news organizations around the world are proving that innovation and credible journalism can move forward together. The international recognition received by Bangladesh’s leading media organizations highlighted the country’s growing connection to this global movement in journalism.
INMA is an international news media association that recognizes innovation and best practices in journalism worldwide through its annual awards program. The deadline for submissions to the 2027 awards is January 29, 2027.
