12 May 2006

Item and Hydro enjoy European first

Item and client Hydro are celebrating a coveted double achievement after Hi! magazine became the first internal publication to hold top UK and European awards at the same time.

hi!, which is written, designed and produced jointly by Item and a Hydro team in Oslo, was named best internal magazine in the UK’s 2006 Communicators in Business (CiB) awards. It currently also holds the title of Europe’s best multi-language magazine.

At the CiB’s awards ceremony in Bournemouth last week, the hi! team accepted three awards – the Gold award for best internal magazine, plus class winner trophies in the hotly-contested ‘magazines published more than six times a year’ and ‘multilingual communication’ categories.

The judges said: ‘ hi! is an unusual and professionally constructed publication with plenty of impact. It’s innovative, stylish, informative, attractive and a pleasure to read.’

hi! has held the title of Europe’s best multilanguage publication in the FEIEA (Federation of European Industrial Editors Associations) awards for the past two years.

Editor Tone Dahle says: ‘For hi! to hold these UK and European titles at the same time is a fantastic achievement for the joint team that creates each issue.

‘Producing a magazine that is translated into nine languages and reaches more than 35,000 people is very challenging. I’m delighted that the team’s hard work has been recognised in such a significant way.’

Alison Crossley, Item’s Managing Director, adds: ‘It’s fantastic to have the talent on both sides of the North Sea recognised by such a highly-regarded professional body as CiB.
‘These awards are a tribute to every member of the hi! team – and the Hydro employees worldwide who help to make it such a powerful internal communication channel.’

Item client Vodafone Group also received an Award of Excellence for Vodafone life! in the multilingual communication category.

From left: Nigel Wood, Item designer; Alison Crossley, Item MD; Rune Erdal, Hydro graphic designer; Sandi Toksvig, presenter and comedian; and Craig Johnson, Hydro writer, collect the Gold award