Greater Govanhill was awarded ‘Regional Magazine of the Year’ at a recent glittering ceremony held by News Awards UK. The esteemed panel of judges described the magazine as ‘fresh and innovative’ and a ‘runaway winner’.

Founder/Editor Rhiannon J Davies receiving the award from Mark Durden-Smith | Photo © Leo Wilkinson photography

Less than one year after launching the magazine, Greater Govanhill is thrilled to have been given this prestigious award, beating magazines run by corporate publishers with much bigger teams and budgets.

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Greater Govanhill was set up during the pandemic in 2020. The first magazine was paid for by a community Crowdfunder, and it has subsequently raised funds through a mix of advertising from local independent organisations, membership revenue and small-scale grant funding. Greater Govanhill now has just two part-time staff, and access to office space one day a week.

Speaking about the win, founder and editor Rhiannon J Davies said:

“I was both astounded and over the moon to accept this award on behalf of Greater Govanhill.

“So many people who hold senior roles in the industry came up to me during the night to tell me what a great publication the magazine is and how they admired our multilingual approach. It’s amazing to think that people around the country have had the opportunity to learn more about the incredibly diverse community of Govanhill.

“It’s also indicative of the rise of the independent and community media sector. The fact that something that has been run from my kitchen table can be even considered in this category, shows that there’s a real appetite for journalism that takes a different, more inclusive approach.

“I’m so proud of everything we’ve done with Greater Govanhill. The magazine is only possible because of the all the support we received from the local community. Whether it’s people writing, editing, translating, photographing or distributing the magazine. This award very belongs to all of our incredible contributors.”

The ceremony was held in the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London in November 2021, 25 years since the first News Awards UK was held. The awards aim to celebrate the best in news media print,
technology and business innovation.

The following is taken from the 2021 Winners Book:

“There was an interesting array of titles that could be standalone or published with their host newspaper. It was a difficult category to judge, but it soon became apparent that there was a new kid on the block – and it stormed to success as the panel scrutinised hard for print quality, design, high value content and commercial innovation.”

It went onto say:

“A first-time entrant that was launched in 2020, Greater Govanhill is a multilingual solutions-focused community magazine serving the Govanhill area to the south of Glasgow.

And what a delight, said judges – a beautifully produced and printed matt finish magazine that is well designed and creatively executed. It was ‘fresh and innovative’ and a brave pandemic year launch that catered perfectly for its hugely diverse target audience. It was also a runaway winner in a category usually dominated by coffee table beauties.

Highly Commended in this category was Yorkshire Life (Archant). Other shortlisted entries were: Bury & West Suffolk Magazine (BPP Magazines), Cheshire Life (Archant), Devon Life (Archant), ES Magazine (Evening Standard), Velvet Magazine (Iliffe Media)

And that’s not all…

Greater Govanhill CIC also recently won the ‘One To Watch’ category in the Social Enterprise Scotland awards. This award recognises organisations with a “creative approach to impact problem-solving, a clear future vision and strong potential for success and growth”. We have big plans for Greater Govanhill, so it means a lot to be recognised in this category. Thanks go to Bold Studio who sponsored this award.

As a result of winning this award, we have automatically been shortlisted in this category in the Social Enterprise UK awards happening on the 8 December.

AND… we’ve been shortlisted for the ‘Launch of the Year’ and ‘Designer of the Year’ in the PPA Scotland Awards happening on the 1 December.

Exciting times for Greater Govanhill!