Meet the Jury of The Drum Awards for Online Media 2021
The Drum Awards for Online Media reward original, clever and thought-provoking work across the best platforms. They are open to editorial teams and media owners, of any size, whose skill and commitment keep the public informed.
This year’s jury for The Drum Awards for Online Media
This year our jury hail from all over the globe with a diverse range of voices. Top journalists from media outlets like ShareJoy, Evening Standard, Stylist, Business Insider, Bloomberg, Bauer Media UK, National Geographic Traveller (UK), Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, Huffington Post, ITN, Channel 4 and the BBC are set to judge the best in class over the past year.
The deadline for the awards is has passed but you can request an extension now.
In the meantime, check out below some of our outstanding judges.
ShareJoy
Anne-Marie Tomchak
founder, ShareJoy
Tomchak is a digital executive, editor, broadcaster and founder who has worked at the top of news, technology and fashion media. She has led editorial teams at British Vogue and Mashable and launched the social media investigative unit BBC Trending. In November 2020 she founded the social enterprise ShareJoy which leverages the circular economy to support youth mental health during the pandemic. Tomchak is also a contributing editor with the Conde Nast title Glamour UK producing investigative journalism with a STEM and social justice focus. She has made TV documentaries about AI and data privacy and her work on digital well-being is on the Irish curriculum. She’s on the European Leadership Council for Mercy Corps and she mentors women journalists on schemes with the Second Source and WABJ.
I'm interested to see how the fundamental changes of the past year are reflected in the storytelling and content in each category. I'll be looking out for compelling visual journalism, smart use of data, original investigations and a tone of voice that's personable but still maintains authority (a fine art). I want to see content that pushes boundaries and challenges perceptions about the value of digital media. I'd also love to see unique ways of engaging and inspiring people with fun and entertaining content that defies a general default to doom and gloom.
Evening Standard
Doug Wills
editor Emeritus
Wills has been with the Evening Standard for 30 years, 15 as managing editor and 10 of those as group managing editor including the Independent. He was appointed editor emeritus in November. He trained in journalism with Thomson Regional Newspapers in Berkshire before joining the Western Daily Press in Bristol becoming political correspondent. He then joined the Reading Evening Post and was appointed deputy editor. Wills is on the board of the Society of Editors and is chair of London Press Club.
Last year was a year of enormous challenges but great opportunities for digital publishers. 2020 may go down as the year which shaped our industry as well as one of the most difficult to report upon. I very much look forward to seeing the entries which I am sure will reflect the determination to tell the ever-changing story of Covid.
Stylist
Felicity Thistlethwaite
executive editor digital
Thistlethwaite is the executive editor (digital) at Stylist, leading the charge for digital editorial growth across the brand. She cut her teeth as a journalist on the tabloids, and even moonlighted as a showbiz hack in her early career. She swapped interviewing big names like David Attenborough and Usher for data deep-dives and strategy planning back in 2017.
Digital media has been at the forefront of the fight for so many important moments in history in the last year alone. Judging The Drum Awards gives me the opportunity and privilege to shine a light on some of the best journalists creating the most brilliant, powerful and important content.
Insider
Spriha Srivastava
executive editor, business division
Srivastava is the Executive Editor of Insider's business division, overseeing the UK bureau. Prior to this she was the deputy digital news editor for CNBC International in London. She helped manage a team of reporters for CNBC.com and regularly wrote and edited market-moving, fast-paced business news stories. Srivastava has won a number of awards for her work. In 2015, she won a runner up in newcomer of the year category in Santander Media Awards. In July 2020, Spriha won Women Economic Forum's "Iconic Women Creating A Better Tomorrow" award. In September 2020, Srivastava was also shortlisted for the Asian Women of Achievement Award in media category.
I am really excited to be judging the highly prestigious Drum Awards this year. 2020 has been an unprecedented year, with the pandemic taking full control of our lives. But despite creativity taking a setback, strong journalism has stood out. We have seen ourselves to be more reactive with the news flow but at every stage, have pushed the boundaries and challenged ourselves. I am looking forward to seeing how our entrants have translated this into their writing and the impact they have created during such a challenging time.
Bloomberg
Adam Blenford
senior editor
Blenford is an experienced multiplatform journalist who works as a news editor for Bloomberg in London across consumer, professional and video platforms. He joined Bloomberg in 2015 to oversee digital news in EMEA, growing web, social media and newsletter audiences and launching international editions in the Middle East and Africa. Previously he was a digital editor for BBC News in London and Washington DC and a reporter for the Evening Standard, based in London and Jerusalem.
Every year my teams have entered The Drum Awards for Online Media I've been struck by the range and quality of the entries and the winners. The awards are a great way to benchmark your own work and to be inspired on ways you can improve in the coming year. There's always so much originality on display. Having been lucky enough to be part of winning teams in the past and a judge in 2020, I'm excited about playing a part in recognising the hard work everyone in the industry has put in during what's been a tough year all round.
Bauer Media UK
Lucie Cave
chief content officer
As Bauer Media in the UK, Cave works across the audio, publishing and commercial business to develop new propositions for brands and audiences. She has driven market-beating and award-winning campaigns and commercial partnerships, encompassing video production, stunts, events, product launches and brand extensions. In addition to her main role, Cave is a journalist, radio host, panel moderator and TV presenter, with slots on ITV’s This Morning, E! and 4music. She is also spearheading Bauer Media’s mental health campaign ‘Where’s Your Head At?’, in partnership with Mental Health First Aid England.
This year’s entrants will be sitting against a backdrop of what’s been the most challenging, uncertain and thought-provoking time in our history. Covid-19 has changed the way we internet so it will be really interesting to see how publishers, brands and editors have adapted and pivoted content for this new world. News has been at the heart of this year’s information engine room and never been more important. It will be exciting to see the creativity that can come from such seismic change and the insights that have shaped content for these new audience needs and desires.
National Geographic Traveller (UK)
Pat Riddell
editor
Riddell has been a travel writer and editor for 20 years and the editor of National Geographic Traveller (UK) since it launched in 2010, overseeing the brand’s growth into digital platforms, events and awards. He’s been shortlisted for editor of the year, Travel at the British Society of Magazine Editors (BSME) Awards seven years in a row and the publication was named Best Consumer Travel Magazine at the British Travel Awards in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
I’m looking forward to judging the online media awards, largely to see how brands have adapted and reacted during these difficult times; to see how creative and original they’ve been whilst staying true to their values and audience. I know from experience how challenging it is to constantly reassess your output and find the right tone, and often the most exciting results stem from such conditions.
Harper's Bazaar Arabia
Lauren Sanchez
contributing editor
Sanchez is a contributing editor at Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in Dubai with 8+ years experience as a writer and content editorial strategist. Prior to this, she served as the project coordinator for the chief content operations officer of Condé Nast while managing a steady stream of content as a writer for Vogue. Having a soft spot for film, Sanchez led a group of reporters to maintain Vogue’s film premiere coverage and was sought out to judge for the Montclair Film Festival in the Future/Now category specializing in discovering new talent.
With nearly a year spent homebound due to the pandemic, the internet took hold of our imaginations. I want to see entries that reflect the same sentiment--innovative, thought provoking, no holds barred content.
Huffington Post
Jacqueline Housden
news editor
Housden is a highly experienced journalist whose career has taken her from Sydney to London via the BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera English. She is currently News Editor at HuffPost UK.
The last year has been one of the most challenging for journalists around the country, but it has also led to some ground-breaking scoops and innovative story-telling. I’m hoping to see a truly diverse mix of entries, including pieces that champion voices we don’t normally hear from.
Country Living
Emma-Louise Pritchard
executive digital editor
Pritchard is executive digital editor at Country Living magazine, with seven plus years of digital content creation and journalism experience. She has managed and strategised Country Living’s website, social media and digital assets for five years, during which time the title won Media Brand of the Year 2019 at the Media Week Awards. Pritchard also won AOP Digital Editor of the Year in 2019 and was named on the PPA’s 30 Under 30 list in 2018. Previous titles include Good Housekeeping and Cosmopolitan.
I’m interested to see how digital teams and individuals have been able to think on their feet, act fast and successfully pivot their strategies to align with the roller-coaster that was 2020. The best thing about digital content is being able to mirror the exact mood, tone and needs of our audiences at any given time. These needs have changed almost weekly in the last year and fluid adaptation has been key. I’m really excited to delve into the creativity of the entries – and will feel privileged to help judge them.