Inside the Brazil Publisher Awards 2025

A Night That Captured a Shifting Industry

You could sense it the moment you stepped into Porto Alegre’s Salão Nobre. The 2025 Brazil Publisher Awards didn’t feel like just another date on the media calendar; they felt like a pulse check for an ecosystem intent on evolving.

Publishers, editors, reporters, tech teams, and platform partners filled the room – not to toast the familiar, but to recognize work that is reshaping Brazil’s digital journalism. For Membrana Media, being part of this moment wasn’t merely symbolic. It felt necessary.

Organized by ANPB, the awards spanned more than ten categories, from national and regional newsrooms to sports, entertainment, finance, health, tech, and niche outlets. Finalists were judged not only on quality, but on audience impact, social value and sustainable editorial practices – the very principles now defining progress across LATAM.

This year, our LATAM Director Lívia Ematné de Matos joined the jury, bringing the clarity and independence that underpin our work across the region. One of the evening’s highlights came when Lívia presented the award to Tudoradio, received by CEO Daniel Starck, whose team continues to set standards for Brazil’s digital audio and news ecosystem.

Beyond the Trophies: A Conversation About What Comes Next

What resonated most throughout the evening wasn’t competition – it was urgency.

No one here is waiting for “better times.” Newsrooms are experimenting with new storytelling formats, embracing attention-led experiences, and seeking revenue models that don’t force them to compromise on editorial purpose. The mood was unmistakable: journalism must move forward, even when conditions don’t cooperate.

Membrana Media’s presence reflects that philosophy.

Supporting publishers in this transition isn’t a side mission; it is the work. We believe editorial teams should focus on reporting, creativity, and innovation – not the puzzle of monetization. Our role is to offer strategies that actually hold up: models that respect user attention, protect editorial integrity and free resources for the journalism itself.

Strong journalism and strong monetization are not opposites; they depend on each other. This year’s BPA finalists showed that when publishers have room to experiment, they build formats that engage, inform and move audiences.

Why Events Like BPA Matter – And What They Signal

The Brazil Publisher Awards serve as a reminder of something the industry often forgets: progress happens when technology partners and editorial teams move in sync. One cannot advance without the other.

A huge thanks goes to Riadis Dornelles and the ANPB team for creating a space filled with honesty, ambition and genuine momentum. We’re proud to support the publishers who continue raising the bar – and we’ll keep building the strategies that help them push even further.