The Local has been nominated for five prizes at the Digital Publishing Awards, including the prestigious award for “General Excellence in Digital Publishing (Small Publication).”

The awards are presented by the National Media Awards Foundation and celebrate excellence in Canadian digital publishing. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in Toronto on June 7.

“We’re so thrilled to have The Local’s work recognized among our esteemed colleagues in Canadian journalism,” said editor-in-chief Tai Huynh. “The stories nominated today are the work of our tireless newsroom, as well as the dozens of talented freelance journalists, photographers, and illustrators who make The Local what it is. This kind of journalism takes investment, and as a small non-profit newsroom we want to thank the funders and supporters that make our work possible.”

Here are the nominations:

Best Digital Editorial Package (Small)

The Finch West Issue: From a wide-angle look at the region’s sorry transit history to an intimate ride-along on the 36 bus, from an examination of the pandemic’s legacy in northwest Toronto to a profile of a forgotten workers’ housing co-op in Rexdale—stories from Finch West on the verge of a massive transformation.

Contributors: Nicholas Hune-Brown, editor and writer; Inori Roy, editor and writer; Tai Huynh, editor; Simon Lewsen, writer; Mobólúwajídìde D. Joseph, writer; Furan Mohamed, writer; Daysha Loppie, writer; Richard Trapunski, writer; Kunal Chaudhary, writer; Christopher Katsarov Luna, photographer; Chloë Ellingson, photographer; Yader Guzman, photographer

Best Data Journalism

“At the Landlord and Tenant Board, Tenants Wait Twice as Long as Their Landlords”: Applications by tenants take up to seven months longer than those by landlords. Behind this disparity is a skewed system of Zoom hearings and inexperienced adjudicators that can’t keep up with a mile-high case backlog.

Contributors: Tahmeed Shafiq, writer; Christopher Katsarov Luna, photography; Inori Roy, handling editor

Best News Coverage (Community Publication)

Mayor’s Race Issue: Coverage of the 2023 Toronto mayoral by-election. With in-depth profiles of candidates, community reporting, policy analysis, and our Candidate Tracker tool—the only place to find reported, fact-checked biographies and platform summaries of all 102 candidates. This is our second year being nominated for our election coverage.

Contributors: Nicholas Hune-Brown, editor and writer; Inori Roy, editor and writer; Tai Huynh, editor and writer; Richard Trapunski, writer; Kunal Chaudhary, writer; Jason McBride, writer; Navneet Alang, writer; Neville Park, writer; Ashley Okwuosa, writer; Brennan Doherty, writer; Denise Balkissoon, writer; Ashleigh-Rae Thomas, writer; Heidi Lee, writer; H.G. Watson, writer and fact checker; Emma Buchanan, writer and fact checker; Rebecca Gao, writer and fact checker; Ramona Leitao, writer and fact checker; Nikky Manfredi, writer and fact checker; Danielle Orr, writer and fact checker; Steph Truong, illustrator; Sid Sharp, illustrator; Christopher Katsarov Luna, photographer; Wade Hudson, photographer; Chloë Ellingson, photographer; Nick Iwanyshyn, photographer

Best Digital Design

The Finch West Issue

Designer: Tai Huynh
Contributors: Steve Combes, developer at Station WP; Lia Mattacchione, developer at Station WP, Torin Rhodin developer at Station WP

General Excellence in Digital Publishing (Small Publication)

This is The Local’s fourth year in a row being recognized for general excellence.