If you read American newspapers you're probably not aware that in other parts of the world there are newspapers so well designed that there's an award for it. And no, The New York Post was not a contender. Hosted by the Society for News Design, The Best of Newspaper Design Creative Competition has actually been going on for 33 years now. This year five papers that vary widely both typographically and stylistically were nominated. They are: Excelsior (Mexico City, Mexico), The National Post (Toronto, ON, Canada), The Grid (Toronto, ON, Canada), Frankfurter Allgemeiner Sonntagszeitung (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) and Politiken (Copenhagen, Denmark).

From the judges:Excelsior uses a bold color palette and a multiple photographs on virtually every page to give it vigor and urgency. FAS and Politiken use sophisticated typography, masterful illustrations and wide broadsheet display to give them an authoritative look. The National Post revels in its narrow page width and tells stories visually as well as any newspaper in the world. The Grid has the feel of an underground paper minus most of the political coverage, but there are engaging story forms on every page that make its readers laugh or shake their head. The Grid's journalists know their audience and they reach it brilliantly.

The judges also noticed some newspaper trends, like an overall move from broadsheets to tabloids. Some unexpected newspapers caught the judges eyes, like the bold design coming out of South China, a sophisticated style from Portugal and Buffalo and continued excellence from Hamburg and New York (no, they're still not talking about The Post)

This competition not only recognizes those who go above and beyond basic journalistic efforts, it serves as a reminder "of how much has been lost in so many places where journalists and ownerships seem to have lost faith, gutted their products, and undermined their relationships with their readers and their communities." That's right, print isn't dead, and as long as it's alive it might as well look good.

If you'd like to make your zine dreams come true and design your own newspaper, head over to Newspaper Club, where you can make and print a paper of your very own.