Prothom Alo wins award, honourable mentions at INMA Global Media Awards 2026

Prothom Alo has won a third prize and two honourable mentions at the ‘Global Media Awards 2026’ organised by the International News Media Association (INMA), one of the world’s leading media organisations.

The awards were announced and presented on Thursday evening (7 May) at 7:00 pm local time (11:00 pm Bangladesh time) during the closing ceremony of the World Congress of News Media at the Tipi am Kanzleramt theatre in Berlin, Germany.

This year, Prothom Alo won third prize in the ‘Best Use of an Event to Build a News Brand’ category (National Brands) for its ‘GPA-5 Achievers Reception 2025’ initiative. The award was given for the campaign titled ‘Next Gen Achievers: Recognising and Inspiring the Next Generation of Leaders’.

In the National Brands category, India’s Dainik Jagran secured first place, while New Zealand’s BusinessDesk came second.

Prothom Alo also received an honourable mention in the ‘Best Brand Awareness Campaign’ category (National Brands) for its ‘HHH: Heads Held High’ campaign. In this category, the first, second and third prizes went respectively to The Hindu from India, Dow Jones from the United States, and Sydney Morning Herald/The Age from Australia.

Another honourable mention came in the ‘Best Public Relations or Community Service’ category (National Brands) for Prothom Alo’s eight schools in remote areas, known as Alor Pathshala under the campaign ‘Guiding Light: Rewriting Futures in Bangladesh’s Forgotten Regions’.

In this category, the first, second and third prizes went respectively to Australia’s News Corp, India’s Dainik Jagran and Switzerland’s Beobachter.

Another Bangladeshi media outlet, The Daily Star, also won a third prize this year in the ‘Best Initiative to Bolster Next Generation Leadership’ category (National Brands).

The International News Media Association (INMA), which has been recognizing innovative initiatives in journalism and media since 1937, is an organisation comprising more than 1,000 news media outlets from 102 countries.

This year, 960 entries were submitted by 274 media organisations from 46 countries in one of the industry’s most prestigious competitions for newspapers, magazines, digital platforms, television and radio. From these, a jury panel of 60 media executives from 26 countries selected 200 finalists. Awards were later presented across 20 categories in eight divisions.

Alongside Prothom Alo, this year’s list of winners included media organisations and ownership groups such as The Washington Post and The Boston Globe from the United States, the Financial Times from the United Kingdom, Toronto Star from Canada, Amedia from Norway, The Waikato Times from New Zealand, Prisa Media and Vocento from Spain, NTM from Sweden, Alma Media from Finland, RBS Group from Brazil, The Hindu, Jagran Prakashan and ABP from India, News Corp from Australia and the South China Morning Post from Hong Kong.

Speaking about this year’s awards, INMA chief executive officer and executive director Earl J Wilkinson said, “It is clear from this year’s winning INMA entries that AI has graduated from experiment to strategic operating fabric, and the linear subscription funnel has given way to integrated audience systems focused on lifetime value rather than acquisition alone.”

“Just as importantly, our members are pairing this business sophistication with a renewed commitment to immersive, human-centric, and local journalism. In a year defined by misinformation and fractured public discourse, news media organisations are proving that strategic depth and editorial purpose are not competing priorities — they reinforce each other,” he added.

Under the Shikho–Prothom Alo initiative, students who achieved GPA-5 in the SSC and equivalent examinations were honoured nationwide. More than 80,000 students participated in programmes held across all 64 districts. The distinctive feature of the initiative was creating a joyful and inspiring experience for students through gifts, entertainment and various educational activities.

Speaking about the award, Shikho chief executive officer Shahir Chowdhury, whose organisation has long been the principal sponsor and partner of the GPA-5 reception initiative, said, “The international recognition received by the GPA-5 reception is a matter of pride for all of us. We are delighted to have been part of this initiative with Prothom Alo for the past four years, because it is not only about honouring outstanding students, but also about teaching them to dream.”

“At Shikho, we work every day to support students and their families in achieving those dreams. From that perspective, this initiative carries special meaning for us. Within the next few months, we are set to launch the next edition of the programme, and we want to make it even bigger, more inspiring and accessible to more students across the country,” he added.

The international recognition was awarded for the way the country’s leading media outlet recovered and presented the incident to readers and viewers following a planned and organised extremist attack and arson at the Prothom Alo office. Through a multidimensional presentation across print, online and social media platforms, the marketing campaign generated widespread public response.

One of the key initiatives of the Prothom Alo Trust, ‘Alor Pathshala (Guiding Light)’, operates eight primary and secondary schools in remote parts of the country. These schools provide free education opportunities for underprivileged children and adolescents.

They also arrange various activities and training programmes to support students’ social and cultural development. The schools are operated in remote regions with the support of the Prothom Alo Trust. This humanitarian and education-focused initiative has now received international recognition.

Over the years, Prothom Alo has won a total of 11 awards at the INMA Global Media Awards, including two first prizes and recognition as South Asia’s best.

In addition, Prothom Alo has won 13 awards, including three golds, at the WAN-IFRA South Asian Digital Media Awards. It has also received two top prizes at WAN-IFRA’s global Sustainability and Print Innovation Awards.