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Bev Wake to become next Executive Director of National Newspaper Awards

Tuesday 5 October 2021

TORONTO, September 7, 2021 – The Board of Governors of the National Newspaper Awards (NNAs) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bev Wake as the organization’s next Executive Director, effective July 1, 2022. She will replace Paul Woods, who is stepping down at the end of the organization’s current fiscal year next June.

To facilitate a successful transition, Wake will work closely with Woods and Program Director Sharon Hockin in all aspects of NNA operations from now until her appointment takes effect.

Based in Vancouver, Wake is a journalism instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic Institute. Previously she spent nearly two decades working in a variety of roles within the Postmedia newspaper chain.

“We are thrilled to have found a candidate of Bev’s calibre for this vitally important position,” said Paul Samyn, Chair of the NNA Board of Governors. “Individuals who have worked with her, from senior newsroom leaders to journalists she supervised, speak highly of her extraordinary work ethic, collaborative approach, strong organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail. These attributes will build on our rich tradition of rewarding journalistic excellence while helping our competition become more diverse and inclusive.”

Wake began her career as a journalist at community newspapers on Vancouver Island before joining the Ottawa Citizen, where she later worked as the newspaper’s Sports Editor. She then moved to the Vancouver Sun and held a number of leadership roles there, including Sports/Olympic Editor, News Editor for Multimedia Projects, City Editor and National Olympic Editor.

Wake was appointed as Senior Executive Producer, Sports, for Postmedia Network in 2014. She led coverage of major sports events and was on-site editor at Olympic Games held between 2006 and 2016.

She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from Carleton University. Wake was recognized for leadership in sports media in 2017 by the Paul Carson Broadcast and Media Awards.

She oversaw work by Postmedia journalists on a series of stories about youth concussions, which won the NNA in the Sports category for 2015.

This is the 72nd 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:

Paul Woods, Executive Director

exec@nna-ccj.ca

905-719-8675

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Journaliste de l’année 2024 : Aaron Beswick

2024 Journalist of the Year: Aaron Beswick

View the 2024 Winners and Finalists
View the 2023 Presentation

Key Dates

December 1 - Entries open
January 15 - Entries close
March 15 - Judges' deadline

Thanks to our Sponsors and Benefactors

Postmedia
The Globe and Mail
Torstar
La Presse
FP Newspapers Inc.
The Canadian Press
Glacier Media
Cision
Toronto Press Club

Named Awards

John Honderich Award for Project of the Year
Sponsored by the Honderich family

George Brown Award for Investigations
Sponsored by The Globe and Mail

John Wesley Dafoe Award for Politics
Sponsored by Ron Stern

E. Cora Hind Award for Local Reporting

Bob Levin Award for Short Feature
Sponsored by The Globe and Mail

Joan Hollobon Award for Beat Reporting
Sponsored by The Globe and Mail

Claude Ryan Award for Editorial Writing
Sponsored by Le Devoir

Mary Ann Shadd Cary Award for Columns

William Southam Award for Long Feature
Sponsored by the Fisher, Bowen and Balfour families

Norman Webster Award for International Reporting
Sponsored by the Webster family

Stuart M. Robertson Award for Breaking News
Sponsored by Paul and Lauraine Woods

Geoffrey Stevens Award for Sustained News Coverage
Sponsored by the family and friends of Geoffrey Stevens

Contact Us

Executive Director: Bev Wake
exec@nna-ccj.ca
604-220-7254

Program Director: Andria Samis
info@nna-ccj.ca
416-738-3654

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  • Mariana Soares to join National Newspaper Awards as program director
    Thursday 12 June 2025
  • Toronto Star wins Project of the Year for Alice Munro coverage
    Saturday 26 April 2025
  • Anne Marie Owens named next executive director of the National Newspaper Awards
    Wednesday 16 April 2025
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