TORONTO, April 16, 2025 – The Board of Governors of the National Newspaper Awards is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Marie Owens as the organization’s next executive director, effective July 1, 2025.
Based in Hamilton, Owens has spent three decades in journalism, serving as editor-in-chief of both the Toronto Star and National Post.
“Anne Marie’s contributions to Canadian journalism as an editor and a champion of our craft in a number of key roles make her an outstanding choice to help lead our awards program,” said Paul Samyn, chair of the NNA board of governors. “She has been a groundbreaker, a transformational leader and above all, an outstanding journalist. We are delighted to have someone of Anne Marie’s stature be part of our longstanding tradition of rewarding journalistic excellence.”
She will replace Bev Wake, who is stepping down at the end of the organization’s current fiscal year in June.
Owens began her career as a journalist at the St. Catharines Standard, where she spent five years reporting on the Paul Bernardo-Karla Homolka murders. She was hired as part of the 1998 launch team for the National Post, where she would go on to assume various roles, from reporter to features editor to managing editor.
Owens joined Maclean’s magazine as deputy editor in 2011, overseeing its digital transformation, including a website re-design and introduction of a tablet edition. She re-joined the National Post in 2014, serving as editor-in-chief until 2019. She led the Toronto Star from 2021 to 2024.
During her career, Owens has overseen multiple National Newspaper Award-winning submissions. She is a former board member for the Canadian Journalism Foundation, Canadian Press and the Torstar Journalism Foundation, and a former selection committee member for the William Southam Journalism Fellowship at Massey College (and Journalism Fellow, 1997-98).
This is the 76th year of the awards program, which was established in 1949 to encourage excellence and reward achievement in daily newspaper work in Canada. The competition is now open to daily newspapers, news agencies and online news sites approved for entry by the Board of Governors.
For more information, contact:
Bev Wake
Executive Director
National Newspaper Awards
exec@nna-ccj.ca
604-220-7254
Andria Samis
Program Director
National Newspaper Awards
info@nna-ccj.ca
416-738-3654
Amanda Hansen
Director of Sponsorships
National Newspaper Awards
promotion@nna-ccj.ca
819-583-9609
