Trelleborgs Allehanda Wins Big at SND

Martin Kubista

When the world's best-looking newspapers were recognized at the SND (Society for News Design) awards in New York last week, over 10,500 entries competed. The only silver medal for a Swedish paper went to Trelleborgs Allehanda for its ZickZack insert which shared the prize with the Guardian's lifestyle magazine.

Along with the silver, the newspaper received eight Awards of Excellence. Page editor Martin Kubista says that the prizes mean a lot for the small editorial team of 18 people working together in new offices in central Trelleborg.

"We're used to keeping a low profile, but this means an awful lot to us," says Kubista. "We think from the beginning about the layout and design. They go hand in hand and we're very flexible when stories fall apart."

The paper's editor-in-chief Rickard Frank credits the entire editorial team.

"It was our small collective that did it," says Frank. "We have a high minimum level of quality and add something special to the paper several times a week. That way readers get something a little more out of the ordinary." 

Kubista has a clear picture of what good newspaper design should be.

"It should be a lot of rock'n'roll," he says. "We don't want to look like a pop band. We work on the extras to offer our readers something that stands out. When it's legitimate to do so, it should be a bit noisy."

Editor-in-chief Frank was in New York as a judge for the competition, but was not part of the jury that looked at the Swedish newspapers. Among jury members, there was a lot of talk about the global development of the newspaper industry, says Frank.

"The big newspapers in the U.S. have downsized a lot in a short time and are fighting for their identities," says Frank. "Today, smaller newspapers are the ones who represent newspaper development and Trelleborgs Allehanda is one of the newspapers that was recognized." 

Besides the newspaper's nine prizes, two Awards of Excellence went to fellow SDS newspaper Kristianstadsbladet. It won for two news spreads. Among other Swedish newspapers winning prizes were Svenska Dagbladet and Helsingborgs Dagblad.

You can see the designs in the gallery at the upper right.