New Delhi: The Times of India bagged first and third positions in two categories and received honorable mentions in three other categories at this year’s International News Media Association (INMA) awards held in Berlin on May 7.The first prize for Best Use of Print (Regional) was awarded to “Thirukkural With The Times”, a weekly column in the Chennai edition of The Times of India that brings the classic wisdom of Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar to young and English-speaking readers through simple, modern interpretations. Written by writer Bharathi Bhaskar, this column shows how a couplet written more than two thousand years ago remains relevant.TOI Kolkata’s campaign “I am Kolkata, Amar Para” won the INMA Third Prize in the Best Use of Social Media (Regional) Category. It celebrates urban life with “para (community)” at its core. The series consists of more than 20 articles, each focusing on a single paragraph. For example, one of them is the celebration of Boypara (or College Street).Honorable mentions are divided into three categories. One of them is the “Amar Para” series in the Best Ideas (area) that encourages readers to participate. The other was Best Video App (National), with TOI Chennai’s ‘The Keeladi Story’ winning the accolade. The third category is optimal revenue diversification strategies. Among them, Bombay Times Lounge, owned by TOI Metro Supplements, was recognized for converting celebrity-led editorial content into monetizable intellectual property (IP).
