Earlier this month, we opened the Digital Edge Awards, now part of the NAA Media Innovation Awards, for entries. We’re looking for any interesting, fun or just plain good, solid digital media journalism from newspaper companies. Video, audio, blogs, social networking tools, mash-ups – you name it, we want to see it!

Like in years past, the Digital Edge awards categories are: Best Overall News Site, Most Innovative Multimedia Storytelling, Most Innovative Visitor Participation, Best Guide or Entertainment Site, Best Local Shopping and Directory Strategy and Best Design and Site Architecture. We’ll award winners in each of those six categories in three circulation groups each -- that’s 18 awards plus two finalists for each award.

Show us what you’ve got!

By the way, the awards are now linked to a new Online Gallery – a database of best practices and innovative ideas from NAA. The past four years of the finalists and winners from the Digital Edge and ACME awards and dozens of our hand-picked case studies are all there. Go to www.naa.org/onlinegallery to take a look. (Digital media folks should choose "Industry/Idea Division: Online Publishing" and search from there.)

You’ll need your NAA Federation I.D. number to get into the online gallery. As usual, if you don’t have it or can’t find it, let me know or call our federation services hotline at (571) 366-1000.