It was the proposal the ad sales team wish the client had bought …but he didn’t: The open final category in PANPA’s 2009 Advertising Awards with the simple title, ‘We Wish’ epitomised the state (and enthusiasm) of the industry in difficult times. It was won by New Zealand’s ‘Wanganui Chronicle’, with ‘The Herald’, Newcastle, highly commended. The awards attracted more than 160 entries from newspapers across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and South-East Asia. They included categories for executive excellence as well as for the best print and online ads. “Judges have praised the quality of the entries,” said the chief executive of PANPA, Mark Hollands. “The best work was achieved by newspapers and executives who are closest to their clients. Their depth of partnership and collaboration produced great ads and campaigns, as well as excellent results. “Many entries – not just the winners – demonstrated the value of advertising in newspapers. The challenge within sales teams is to create strong relationships, and be allowed to spend time to do that.” Awards criteria had been changed substantially to include bundling of print and online advertising, and PANPA also revamped awards for individual executive excellence. Of the six executive categories, three were won by colleagues at ‘The Age’ in Melbourne. Winners were: Executive excellence Advertising Manager of the Year– David Fisher, Community Newspaper Group, Western Australia Display Advertising Executive of the Year–Alex Keynes, The Age Online Advertising Executive of the Year–Luke Donkin, News Digital Media Classifieds Sales Executive of the Year–Tia Clarke, The Age Excellence in Advertising Bundling (print & digital)–Richard Lehocz, The Age Creative Services Professional of the Year–Jason Howard, Leader Newspapers, Melbourne Best Single Advertisement in Print (by circulation category) 0 – 25,000–TIE:Shepparton News, Victoria, ‘Graham Thomson Motors’ & The Courier, Ballarat 25,001 – 90,000– Waverley/Oakleigh Monash Leader, Melbourne 90,001+–Sun-Herald, Sydney; Highly commended– The Advertiser, Adelaide Best Single Advertisement Online Metropolitan/National– Leader Newspapers, Melbourne Best Print Campaign 0 – 25,000– Sunshine Coast Daily, Queensland Highly Commended–The Courier, Ballarat, & Riverine Herald, Victoria 25,001 – 90,000– Illawarra Mercury, NSW Highly commended– Berita Harian, Singapore 90,001+ – The Advertiser, Adelaide; Highly commended–The New Paper, Singapore, & Sun-Herald Best Online Campaign for a Client (Open) –News Digital Media; Highly commended: Fairfax Digital Best Integrated Campaign 0 – 25,000– Sunshine Coast Daily, Queensland 25,001 – 90,000– Canberra Times 90,001+ – Sydney Morning Herald Best Dedicated Environments 0 – 25,000 – Marlborough Express, NZ - ‘Yealands Estate’; Highly commended: Timaru Herald, NZ, & Sunshine Coast Daily, Queensland 25,001 – 90,000 – Canberra Times - ‘Living in Canberra’ 90,001+ – Manly Daily, NSW - ‘Bridal’; Highly commended: The Age, Melbourne - ‘Living By Design’ Best Advertisement Promoting Print 0 – 25,000 – Timaru Herald, NZ; Highly commended: The Advocate, Tasmania 25,001 – 90,000 – The Chronicle, Queensland; Highly commended: The Business Times, Singapore 90,001+ – Sydney Morning Herald Best Tactical Use of Newspapers 25,001 – 90,000 – The Examiner, Tasmania 90,001+ – The Advertiser, Adelaide - ‘Super Savers’; Highly commended: My Paper, Singapore - ‘Bilingual Newspaper Launch’ Best Innovation in Advertising (Open) Otago Daily Times, New Zealand