The wait is finally over – the winners of the 2017 INSP Awards have been revealed!

The twelve coveted awards were presented at the glitzy awards ceremony, as part of the Global Street Paper Summit in Manchester.

Delegates descended in their finest gladrags on The Bridgewater Hall, and celebrated the best of street paper innovation and excellence, with awards including Best Cover, Best Photograph, Best Breakthrough and Best Vendor Contribution.

The awards were hosted by INSP’s Honorary President Serge Lareault and Maree Aldam, Chief Executive of INSP.

We announced last week that the INSP Special News Service Award was won by Scarp de’ tenis, with the Pope making it two years in a row as the subject of the most downloaded article from the News Service.

Two street papers came out on top securing two awards apiece, with The Curbside Chronicle taking home gongs for Best Cultural Feature and Best Vendor Contribution, and Mi Valedor scooping Best Design and Best Online Presence.

Serge Lareault was also presented a special Lifetime Achievement Award for his services to INSP, as he prepares to step down from the role of Honorary President.

Congratulations to all our winners!

Full List of Winners:

Best News Feature

WINNER: Surprise, Switzerland

Refugee couple fight to be reunited for their wedding

By Dominik Galliker, Photographs by Julien Gregorio

In December 2015, Laila, a refugee from Yemen, and Toufik, a Moroccan looking for a better life, went to the immigration office in Bern to get papers for their wedding. Instead the young couple were separated and Toufik was arrested and deported. Surprise’s Dominik Galliker told the story of their fight to be reunited. Judges felt the piece was very well thought out, with rising tension and a thriller-like style.

Best Cultural Feature

WINNER: The Curbside Chronicle, USA

No seconds: the photographer humanising death row inmates by capturing their last meals

By Whitley O’Connor

Rooted in religion, superstition and compassion, the final meal of U.S. death row inmates dates as far back as capital punishment itself. Curbside spoke to world-renowned photographer Henry Hargreaves as he aimed to humanise inmates via their last meal requests. Judges found a thought-provoking and memorable take on a challenging subject.

Best Photograph

WINNER: Real Change, USA

Standing Rock

By Alex Garland

Alex Garland’s image captured the mood of the Dakota Access Pipeline protest; Frank surveys the land on horseback, while the upside-down American flag is a visual representation of the conflict between the native people and the government. The judges praised this as a powerful image, painting a picture and inviting the reader to find out more.

Best Cover

WINNER: Liceulice, Serbia

Highlighting an issue that is still prevalent in Serbian society, Liceulice wanted to bring attention to the often-ignored topic of domestic violence. The judging panel called the cover courageous, and felt the bold design would draw attention on the streets.

Best Design

WINNER: Mi Valedor, Mexico

Mi Valedor’s design reflects the identity of the Mexican streets through images, illustrations or texts. In each issue a new illustrator is invited to contribute, making every edition unique and different. Judges commended the creative, visual design.

INSP Special News Service Award

WINNER: Scarp de’ tenis, Italy

“One must treat all people with humanity” – new exclusive interview with Pope Francis

By Stefano Lampertico

Pope Francis makes it two years in a row as the subject of the most downloaded story from the INSP News Service, this year thanks to Stefano Lampertico’s exclusive interview for Scarp de’ tenis, which was published in 25 papers across 12 countries.

Best Vendor Contribution

WINNER: The Curbside Chronicle, USA

The Art of Healing

By Chazzi Davis, Compiled By Marty Peercy

Curbside Chronicle vendor and photographer Chazzi Davis talked about his mental health, therapeutic photography, and the importance of making something beautiful out of his experiences. Judges described Chazzi’s photography as captivating and praised his talent in the face of adversity.

Best Online Presence

WINNER: Mi Valedor, Mexico

Each week, on Facebook, Twitter and their website, Mi Valedor post the stories and experiences of their vendors along with their selling location, and invite readers to share these stories with their friends digitally. They also invite Instagram followers to upload photos with the hashtag #MiValedor when they meet a seller, and repost these.

Website: www.mivaledor.com

Twitter: @MiValedorMX

Facebook: @mivaledor

Instagram: @mivaledor

Best Project

WINNER: Street Sheet, USA

Voter Activation Project

Street Sheet developed a Voter Activation Project to help educate San Franciscans about the needs of those sleeping on the streets, and inspire them to vote for measures that secured funding for ending homelessness. An 8-page Street Sheet-style Voter Guide was created, including input, artwork, and messaging from over twenty homeless service organizations, Street Sheet vendors, and homeless people. Throughout the course of the election season, more than 50,000 copies reached San Francisco homes. Additionally, several voter registration drives were also held.

Best Breakthrough

WINNER: Hus Forbi, Denmark

New distributing partners

Hus Forbi increased their distributing partners during 2016 to a total of 40, who support the paper by distributing each edition across the length and breadth of Denmark to the vendors. The partnership model has been used for many years, but over the past year Hus Forbi has further mobilised this and successfully involved the partners in a hands-on way, improving the relations between partners and Hus Forbi staff. This included a fund for facilitating social enterprises, and a seminar for mutual exchange of experiences between distributors and vendors.

Best Campaign

WINNER: The Big Issue Australia

20th Anniversary

The Big Issue Australia celebrated its 20th anniversary with the release of a special commemorative edition, supported by an extensive national media and social media campaign. The campaign aimed to celebrate their vendors and highlight the significant social impact of The Big Issue since 1996. Almost 30,000 copies of the anniversary edition sold in the first fortnight, a 30% increase on the previous issue. Celebratory events, video messages from famous Australians and a flash dance mob all generated a buzz online and in the press, and the overall reach on social media exceeded 1million.

Lifetime Achievement Award

WINNER: Serge Lareault

You can join the discussion on social media using #INSPAwards to see reactions to the winners.