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Applications open for Best Publisher UX Award 2022

25 October 2021 • Jane Charlton, international marketing manager

We're thrilled to announce a call for applications for our Best Publisher User Experience Award 2022.

About the award

The award, now in their third year, put the spotlight on publishers striving to put their users at the heart of their service design. The industry accolade aims to showcase best practice in providing ease of access to published online content.

Amongst other things, applications should demonstrate:

  • Evidence of user experience research
  • Good user experience design
  • Tangible evidence of learner and researcher engagement
  • Improved simple, seamless user journey
  • The value, impact and ROI of changes to the user experience
  • Plans for future development

The deadline for entries is 30 November 2021.

We'll announce the winner at our annual Access Lab 2022 conference which will take place online on 22 March next year.

Judging panel

Chaired by Jane Charlton from OpenAthens, the judging panel includes several high-profile industry experts:

“It is an absolute pleasure to be hosting these awards again this year. Our judging panel members are passionate about improving the user experience on publisher platforms. I’m thrilled to be working alongside such a supportive and knowledgeable team. These awards have now become an annual fixture. I have no doubt we will receive high quality submissions again this year. It’s great to reward excellence as more publishers realize that a seamless experience is what their customers and users want.”

Jane Charlton, international marketing manager, OpenAthens

Award process for 2022

We plan to announce the shortlist of finalists in early January. Finalists will then submit evidence of learner and researcher attitudes and reactions to changes in user experience later that month. In addition, they will also have an opportunity to present a 10-minute case study at a finalists webinar in March, ahead of our Access Lab conference.

Last year’s winner was nkoda, a digital sheet music subscription service that gives you direct and unlimited access to the publishers’ catalogues in an app. Recognised for its product vision in serving end users, nkoda’s product roadmap has been shaped by the musicians that use the digital library.

“We’re thrilled to open applications for our 2022 Best Publisher User Experience Award. We look forward to representatives from across the information industry taking part. OpenAthens works hard to help drive innovation in the information industry and to make access to knowledge as easy as possible for end users. With this award we hope to continue raising the awareness and importance of simplifying access to valuable digital resources.

Jon Bentley, commercial director

How to apply

Find out more about the award and submit your entry before the deadline!

Guy Spyropoulos, nkoda, with UX award and handbook
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About our 2021 award winner

Find out why nkoda won our 2021 Best Publisher User Experience Award.

Read the full story