Al Jazeera English (aljazeera.com) has received the "Breaking News" award at the Online Journalism Awards (ONA) in Boston.

The accolade was for its coverage of the uprisings in Egypt, when the site received a 2500 per cent spike in traffic. ONA judges commended Al Jazeera's use of online tools to powerfully communicate the way the revolution immediately impacted people's lives.

Al Jazeera online journalist Dorothy Parvaz, who was captured in Syria and Iran earlier this year, accepted the award on behalf of the network.

Other nominees for the award were The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press and The New York Times.  Past winners include BBC News, CNN.com, and the Associated Press.

"This award has been won through the phenomenal work of our journalists. As well as being on top of breaking news stories during some of the most intense news cycles on modern times, the website has been marked by its ability to innovate and adapt in an ever changing new media landscape,” said Mohamed Nanabhay, head of online at Al Jazeera English.

"Our multifaceted approach to telling complex stories through our depth features, opinion and programmes as well as at the speed of thought through our LiveBlogs has produced an overall product that saw our traffic surge by 2500 per cent as the revolutions unfolded.”

"Not much can compare to being an active part of such a tumultuous period of history, however acknowledgement from your professional peers is something to savor,” he added.

The Online News Agency's website said: "Al Jazeera earned the Breaking News award in the large site category to widespread applause from the audience. ONA celebrated Al Jazeera’s coverage of the uprisings in Egypt, praising it for being “informed by people affected by what was happening.”

Al Jazeera was also nominated for the award of General Excellence in Online Journalism along with the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the BBC. – TradeArabia News Service