SAEON eNews among top six in SA Publication Forum Awards

For the second year running, SAEON eNews was selected as one of South Africa’s top six e-newsletters in the Best Electronic Publication category of the 2014 SA Publication Forum Awards. The publication received a Certificate of Merit for scoring more than 75% in the categories of writing, communication, design and photography.

The judges’ comments were as follows:

• Image:  SAEON eNews is a very attractive publication. It projects a positive image of SAEON and is a very good marketing tool for the organisation.
• Objectives and target audience:  The editor understands his/her audiences and the publication is aptly focused on the target audiences.
• Substance:  Interesting, useful and comprehensive information is provided on the wide range of activities of the organisation.
• Viewpoints:  The publication features information on all levels and links to other sites to draw on their information. A very balanced publication.
• Frequency:  Adequate. A strong relationship with the audience can be built with this tool.
• Language usage and editing:  The style of writing suits the market and the topics. The language is appropriate for the readership/audience. Interesting and informative.
• General style:  The publication is original and the style is consistent.
• General quality of graphics:  The quality of the graphics is good and there is appropriate use of images. The limited use of stock photography is appreciated. Images from the activities of the organisation make the publication more interesting.
• General comments:  The fact that an archive is incorporated allows readers to easily refer back to previous issues. Sharing functionality is good.
  (This point was highlighted during the judges’ feedback session at the awards – SAEON eNews was singled out as a prime example of sharing functionality in electronic newsletters. The judges were also impressed with SAEON’s comprehensive newsletter archive.)

Close on 150 print and electronic publications were entered into the competition this year. The judges said: “We were delighted to see so many world-class publications this year and are amazed that several of our top publications continue to find room for improvement. A trend this year is that more electronic publications were entered than ever before. This competition is now in its 13^th year and we are delighted to see the continued growth in the quality of corporate communications.”