De Tijd can proudly call itself the European Newspaper of the Year for the next twelve months. The newspaper recently claimed this top prize for the redesign and reconceptualisation of its weekday edition as a complementary medium to its news app and website
‘Form and content perfectly complement one another’
No fewer than 161 newspapers from 24 countries took part in the competition. According to an 18-strong professional jury of journalists, scientists and art directors, De Tijd was head and shoulders above the pack due to the new concept and design for its weekly edition it launched in the first half of 2021. ‘Form and content perfectly complement one another’, the jury commented, referring to the clarity of the revamped front page, on which news and eye-catching visual accents highlight the main editorial choices. The design of ‘De Verdieping’, a daily double spread on which a topic currently in the news is examined in detail, was also singled out for praise. ‘The content is enhanced by excellent infographics, illustrations and figures.’ In digital form, ‘De Verdieping’ is easily recognisable due to its consistent style and graphics. ‘De Tijd has a clear distinctive design’, according to the jury, which also touched on the photography sections in the paper. ‘A business newspaper can often look a little boring, but this is clearly not the case with De Tijd’.
A premium luxury product, but above all, insightful business journalism
The weekday print edition was reconceptualised this spring as a ‘premium luxury product’ that serves its own function alongside the news app, with a comprehensive selection of news and with space for long-form journalism. A redesign was implemented under the guidance of art director Jan Nelis. This design even better expresses the paper’s choice for news-driven and insightful business journalism. The renovation exercise was implemented in tandem for the print and online editions. The fact that De Tijd’s hard work has now been recognised by an international jury is a fantastic achievement. De Tijd has won the award once before in 2012, together with Dutch newspaper Trouw. This time, De Tijd is the only national winner.
Constant readership growth
There is only one thing better than being recognised by an international jury, and that is the appreciation of De Tijd’s readers. In terms of readership figures, De Tijd has witnessed a strong upwards trend for the last decade. Over the last five years alone, its number of subscribers has gone up by nearly half. De Tijd and L’Echo reach 510,000 readers every day via their print and digital channels.*
For more information on De Tijd being crowned ‘European Newspaper of the Year’, contact:
Isabel Albers, General Editor-in-Chief of De Tijd & L’Echo, isabel.albers@mediafin.be, +32 476 40 11 38