{"id":23047,"date":"2026-05-10T08:30:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T05:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/?p=23047"},"modified":"2026-05-10T08:30:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T05:00:49","slug":"iran-international-wins-four-wan-ifra-middle-east-digital-media-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/?p=23047&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Iran International Wins Four WAN-IFRA Middle East Digital Media Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran International<\/strong> has secured four top honors at the 2026 WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Middle East. Its projects were recognized for their outstanding innovation, audience engagement, data visualization, and participatory storytelling, particularly under conditions of repression.<\/p>\n

Among the network\u2019s acclaimed projects were its Telegram bot, the interactive map detailing Israeli targets during the 12-Day War, and the impactful Woman, Life, Freedom campaign. Notably, the Telegram bot has also advanced to the global stage of the WAN-IFRA awards, underscoring its international significance.<\/p>\n

The Telegram bot, submitted by Volant Media in the United Kingdom, received awards for Best in Audience Engagement<\/strong> and Most Innovative Digital Product<\/strong>. WAN-IFRA lauded it as a secure, AI-assisted channel enabling users to submit footage and reports from within Iran, with all material meticulously verified by Iran International journalists.<\/p>\n

Launched amidst widespread protests, the bot quickly evolved into a crucial news-gathering instrument, receiving thousands of messages daily from inside Iran.<\/p>\n

Following a nationwide internet shutdown, it transformed into a vital communication bridge, allowing Iranians abroad to send messages to relatives cut off from internet access. These messages were then broadcast on satellite TV, with one message displayed every 20 seconds during live programming.<\/p>\n

The WAN-IFRA jury highlighted the project\u2019s \u201cexceptionally innovative\u201d editorial application of familiar technology. They further noted that its adaptation during internet shutdowns, serving as a bridge between diaspora families and individuals within Iran, demonstrated \u201csignificant real-world user impact beyond news gathering.\u201d<\/p>\n

The jury also commended the bot\u2019s robust verification workflows, stringent security protections, and seamless cross-platform integration, deeming it \u201ca strong reference model for participatory journalism in restricted environments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran International\u2019s interactive map of Israeli targets in the 12-Day War, a brainchild of Amirhadi Anvari, was honored with the award for Best Data Visualization in the Middle East<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This project meticulously mapped strike locations across Iran during the 12-day conflict, integrating citizen-reported information with verified data from multiple sources, including international reporting.<\/p>\n

WAN-IFRA praised the map for offering a comprehensive and accessible overview of the conflict at a time when location-specific information was scarce and fragmented.<\/p>\n

The primary editorial challenge for the project involved verifying, precisely locating, and clearly explaining events across competing information environments. It drew upon citizen videos, domestic reporting, and open-source geospatial data, with each location rigorously cross-checked and mapped with precise coordinates, classification, and explanatory context.<\/p>\n

Designed for optimal clarity and usability, the map employs custom markers, layered views, and filters to assist audiences in navigating complex information. Most locations are linked to visual evidence or related reporting, while additional layers provide crucial context, such as the proximity of military and sensitive sites to civilian infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The jury hailed it as a \u201cthorough geolocation of categorized information\u201d and lauded its integration with Google Maps, adding: \u201cThe simple and brief narrative allows the user to freely explore the content.\u201d<\/p>\n

Iran International also received the award for Best Marketing Campaign for a News Brand<\/strong> for its “Woman, Life, Freedom” campaign, commemorating the third anniversary of Mahsa Amini\u2019s death in police custody in 2022.<\/p>\n

The campaign centered on a poignant installation of 1,000 hand-folded origami birds, each bearing the name of a victim and arranged to form the phrase \u201cWoman, Life, Freedom\u201d in Persian. This installation was filmed and extensively amplified across broadcast and digital platforms, inviting audiences to fold and share their own origami birds using the hashtag #MahsaBird.<\/p>\n

WAN-IFRA noted that the campaign successfully transformed remembrance into collective action in a context where open dissent carries significant risks. It provided audiences both inside Iran and across the diaspora with a simple and safe act of remembrance, utilizing paper, light, and human hands to convert individual grief into visible solidarity.<\/p>\n

The jury described it as \u201ca powerful uplift,\u201d stating that it translated Iran International\u2019s mission into \u201ca safe, participatory act of remembrance under repression.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDeeply inspiring,\u201d the jury concluded.<\/p>\n

The Iran International Telegram bot is now set to compete on the global stage of the WAN-IFRA awards. The global winners are slated to be announced in June during the WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress in Marseille, France.<\/p>\n

WAN-IFRA, the World Association of News Publishers, stands as one of the largest international organizations in media and journalism, representing thousands of publishers and news organizations worldwide. Its Digital Media Awards celebrate leading work in digital journalism, data visualization, media products, marketing, and audience engagement.<\/p>\n

#IranInternational #WANIFRAAwards #DigitalMedia #AudienceEngagement #DataVisualization #ParticipatoryJournalism #WomanLifeFreedom #MahsaAmini #TelegramBot #MiddleEastMedia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Iran International has secured four top honors at the 2026 WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Middle East. Its projects were recognized for their outstanding innovation, audience engagement, data visualization, and participatory storytelling, particularly under conditions of repression. Among the network\u2019s acclaimed projects were its Telegram bot, the interactive map detailing Israeli targets during the 12-Day War, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23048,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fajr.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}