Greater Govanhill wins European local media award!
What started from a bedroom in Govanhill during the pandemic has now received international recognition. Greater Govanhill has won the European category at the 2026 AMIC International Awards for Local Media in Barcelona which celebrated community-centred local media.
Greater Govanhill founder Rhiannon J Davies collected the award in Barcelona
Greater Govanhill has won a major international local media award, with the magazine recognised at a prestigious event in Barcelona for its community-led approach to local journalism.
The project won the European category at the 2026 AMIC International Awards for Local Media, run by Catalan media association AMIC · Mitjans d'Informació i Comunicació, which celebrates local and independent media organisations from across Europe and beyond.
The awards brought together local media projects from across Europe, Latin America and the United States, focused on rebuilding trust, participation and connection within their communities.
Greater Govanhill won the European category alongside Swedish finalist Nyhetsbyrån Järva. This year’s international category was won by Californian local news organisation Lookout Santa Cruz, while Colombian publication El Armadillo was named finalist. Rather than being an awards that anyone can enter, expert observers in each country recommend two organisations which are then judged by an independent jury.
The winners, finalists and jurors at the awards in Barcelona
Carmina Crusafon Baqués, who presented the award at the event in Barcelona, said the awards were “a moment to recognise excellence, innovation and commitment in local journalism”, adding that local media continue to play “a key role in strengthening communities, democracy and public debate.”
Founded by Rhiannon J Davies during the pandemic, Greater Govanhill started as a response to the negative narratives often told about the neighbourhood in mainstream media coverage. What began six years ago from Rhiannon’s bedroom has since grown into a wider community media organisation operating from The Community Newsroom on Bowman Street.
In its jury statement, AMIC praised Greater Govanhill’s “exemplary contribution to community-centred journalism and innovative local media practice”, highlighting the project’s impact among communities often underserved by traditional media. Judges also recognised its focus on “local voices, social realities, and issues of direct relevance to the neighbourhood”, as well as the role of The Community Newsroom as “a civic hub that fosters trust, encourages participation, and strengthens relationships between journalists and residents.”
The jury also commended Greater Govanhill’s workshops and participatory activities for contributing “not only to information provision but also to media literacy, community cohesion, and democratic conversation.”
Accepting the award in Barcelona, Rhiannon said the recognition belonged to the wider community behind the project.
“I feel very proud to accept this award on behalf of everyone who has been part of Greater Govanhill — the contributors, community reporters, members, partners, and most importantly, the people of Govanhill,” she said.
The award for the European category of local media - presented to Greater Govanhill
“In the video, you heard why I started the magazine — as a response to the negative narratives being told about the neighbourhood and to take a solutions-focused approach to local issues. But what it’s become since then goes far beyond a publication.”
“Greater Govanhill and The Community Newsroom have become places where people tell their own stories, find belonging, and discover how to use their voice to make change.”
Rhiannon said it was meaningful to see local media projects rooted in communities being recognised internationally alongside publications including Lisbon-based Mensagem de Lisboa and Detroit newsroom Outlier Media.
“It reflects a growing recognition of local journalism that responds directly to the information and connection needs of communities, and is focused on making a real difference to people in a place,” she said.
“While our work is rooted in one neighbourhood in Glasgow, the challenges of misrepresentation, division and inequality exist in communities across the world. But so does the creativity, resilience and desire to be heard.”
Since launching in 2020, hundreds of local residents have contributed to Greater Govanhill through writing, photography, illustration, translation, distribution and community reporting projects.
The organisation now operates from The Community Newsroom alongside investigative journalism co-operative The Ferret and has also helped support a wider ecosystem of independent local journalism through The Scottish Beacon and Greater Community Media. Over the years, they won other awards such as the Reporting Communities Award and the Regional Press Awards, and the Regional Magazine of the Year at the Newspaper Awards, but this is their first international award.
Rhiannon said the award was a recognition of the wider community that has shaped Greater Govanhill since it launched in 2020.
“This award belongs to everyone who trusted us with their stories, gave their time, and helped build real community power in Govanhill,” she said.
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