The Observer

The Observer has thrived as the unique voice of liberal and progressive values on the Sunday news stands. The paper served as a crucial source of analysis and discussion of the Labour Party of Keir Starmer as it readied itself for the July election. Its perspective on the crucial political and social currents of the day - from the crisis within our public institutions, the search for a new global role, to the bitter debates over issues such as gender identity - has placed the paper at the heart of the national debate. And the coverage, made possible through our shared resources with the Guardian, has enabled the paper to maintain its proud internationalist traditions. This has been reflected in a thriving readership. Observer newsstand sales have performed strongly - its market share has grown significantly - while online traffic continues to break records and take our journalism to a spreading and increasingly diverse readership.

Our politics coverage once again led the agenda throughout the year. In February we revealed Labour planned to "bomb-proof " their manifesto by not making big promises, while in April we revealed that a Tory former health minister was defecting to Labour. In the run-up to the election we revealed that the Archbishop of Canterbury wanted Labour to ditch the two-child benefit cap, piling pressure on Starmer ahead of the election.

During the election we sent reporters across the country to report on the real issues affecting voters, from sewage in rivers to NHS failures. Our post-election coverage, from Robert Ford’s analysis to Tom Baldwin’s front row seat with the Starmer family, was superb.

We kickstarted the assisted dying debate revealing that Diana Rigg had made an impassioned plea for the law to be changed shortly before she died, calling for people to be given "true agency over their own bodies at the end of life".

It was another great year for Observer investigations, from Shanti Das's revelations about the rise of 'sexomnia' used as a defence in rape cases to Rachael Healy's exclusive on bullying behind the scenes at BBC's Strictly.

Whether it was Sonia Sodha’s challenging contributions on gender politics or assisted dying, Andrew Rawnsley’s magisterial analysis of the dying embers of the conservative government, Catherine Bennett’s acerbic takes on the royal family and various other grandees, Kenan Malik’s unique and cerebral analysis of identity politics, The Observer demonstrates the power of liberal commentary at its very best - open, challenging, diverse. We are renowned for our discerning coverage of culture and the New Review is at the heart of this. A unique supplement in the newspaper market, the section combines star interviews with smart, surprising and in-depth coverage of the arts, books, science, current affairs and tech. We have the most comprehensive reviews of books and the arts along with the best culture writing team on a Sunday, including columnists Stewart Lee and David Mitchell, award winning feature writers Tim Adams and Rachel Cooke, critics Laura Cumming (art), Susannah Clapp (theatre) and Wendy Ide (film). Feature highlights over the past 12 months include Tim Adams on how the story of Captain Tom turned sour, Jilly Cooper interviewed by our readers, and major interviews with Tony Blair, Tilda Swinton, Werner Herzog and Neneh Cherry.

The Observer Magazine has a longstanding reputation for engaging a politically astute, globally curious readership. It has evolved into a vibrant and witty publication that balances serious journalism with entertainment – a unique editorial voice that stands out in the market. This year, we’ve produced numerous agenda-setting interviews, such as Robert De Niro's candid comments on Donald Trump (“like an abusive parent”); Peter Capaldi on arts funding cuts and Eva Wiseman exclusively interviewed Crystal Hefner about the Playboy mansion.

Observer Food Monthly is home to the best recipes alongside the finest writing about everything involved in breakfast, lunch and dinner. Nigel Slater's simple, failsafe dishes become weekly staples for our readers, as do imaginative sets from a roster of top cooks. Plus there are reflections on how food fits into our lives from our superb regular columnists.

The Observer shines out among the powerful and accomplished Sunday titles that make the British press such a force to reckon with.