Communicate has been named Media Brand of the Year at the PPA's Independent Publisher Awards.

The two-year-old magazine, published by Cravenhill Publishing, is celebrating an awards double, having won the PPA award for Launch of the Year in only 2009.

The awards are described as “the ultimate accolade for the achievements of independent publishers, celebrating the dynamic contribution made to the publishing industry and the entrepreneurial spirit of the smaller publisher”. Open to publications, websites, brands, companies and individuals the awards define an independent publisher as one with a turnover of £10 million or below.

Media Brand of the Year is a new category that combined the categories of Consumer Media Brand of the Year and Business Media Brand of the Year.

According to the PPA’s citation, “Communicate came out on top of what the judges thought was an extremely strong category. As a result of the economic downturn, the magazine needed to extend its brand and reach into niche areas. Communicate repositioned itself, enabling the print magazine to be just one aspect of the brand. The judges felt that Communicate created and dominated a sector in a very short space of time with good strategic purpose and direction, demonstrating flexibility over multi-platform media. Communicate has thrived in a harsh economic environment doubling revenue, increasing headcount and growing its business.”

Communicate’s publisher Andrew Thomas said: “We’re absolutely thrilled Communicate has been recognised in this way. Since launching, we have worked hard to build up a dialogue and presence that truly connects us to our audience.  Our thanks go to all of our readers, advertisers, and contributors for their support and feedback, and we look forward to innovating and growing even more in the years to come.”