THE NATION PUBLISHING Company got a major award at the recently held International Newsmedia Marketing Association (INMA) Awards 2008 Gala dinner in Beverly Hills, California.

The newspaper took third place in the Print Advertising Sales And Retention category with the popular Forever I Do competition.

The INMA Awards 2008 competition generated 755 entries from nearly 200 newspapers from 34 different countries. For the first time, judging was conducted via the Internet by 21 judges worldwide.

The winners represented the world's best newspaper marketing campaigns from the past year.

THE NATION'S Advertising Manager, Paulette Jones received the award on behalf of the company at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

"I was ecstatic with our showing overall. To compete with some of the most established newspapers coming from developed countries with huge markets and budgets, coming third in this distinguished category is a remarkable accomplishment," Jones said.

Jones said this achievement underscored the aim of the Nation Publishing Company to be truly world-class and compete in the global arena. She said the award provided the perfect platform for the launch of new and exciting products from the newspaper company.

During the event, INMA unveiled nearly 90 first place, second place, and third place recipients of the coveted global prize. INMA president Ed Efchak presented the awards.

The Forever I Do competition, which has been held annually since 2001, gives couples resident in Barbados a chance to win their dream wedding and honeymoon free of cost, as a result of the participation of premium wedding service providers in Barbados and the wider region. (PR)