The National wins design and sports awards

The paper won 15 Awards of Excellence from the Society for News Design.

ABU DHABI // The National has been recognised with several international awards for design and sports coverage.

The newspaper won 15 Awards of Excellence at the Society for News Design's annual competition, which attracted 10,000 entries from 39 countries.

The judges gave accolades to the paper's Business, House&Home and Travel sections, coverage of the British royal wedding and the Arab Spring, and the Green Issue printed on green-coloured paper to raise awareness of environmental issues.

"We are delighted to be recognised for our presentation of news and the more thoughtful features work," said Laura Koot, The National's managing editor and art director. "We are proud the Gulf continues to be a leader in news design. With so many countries participating, the UAE finished fourth at the awards table."

Also, judges in the Associated Press Sports Editors contest awarded the triple crown to The National's Sport section for Daily, Sunday and Special Sections in its circulation category. A four-part series on the Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao's rise, published in the run-up to his championship fight in May, also won an award in the Project section.

The contest is judged by sports editors from across the United States.

Robert Mashburn, The National's sports editor, welcomed the recognition of The National's coverage. "The UAE spends a lot of time on the world sports stage and we are pleased our coverage has been judged to be of an equally high calibre," he said.

Hassan Fattah, editor-in-chief of The National, said: "These accolades highlight the level of effort and professionalism that go into every page of The National.

"Nearly four years since it was launched, The National continues to go from strength to strength, establishing itself as one of the most influential news organisations in the region, and continuing to invest in design, long-term coverage and multimedia, highlighting the best this region has to offer."