National Observer has been nominated for four Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA) for excellence in online journalism over the past year.

Editor-in-chief Linda Solomon Wood and lead developer Bruno De Bondt have been shortlisted in the 'Best News Website' category, while photojournalist Alex Tétreault competes for 'Best Photo Journalism.' National columnist Sandy Garossino has been nominated for 'Best Blog or Column,' and Elizabeth McSheffrey is a finalist for 'Best Continuing Coverage of a Story.'

"I think these latest nominations are a shining example of the growth and success of our talented team," said managing editor Mike De Souza on Tuesday. "We thank our readers for supporting our growth, for paying for news and for allowing us to carry out investigative journalism that matters."

All of National Observer's nominees face tough competition in their respective categories from finalists such as CTV News Calgary, VICE Media Canada, The Winnipeg Free Press, Maclean's, DeSmog Canada, Discourse Media and The Tyee.

The COPAs bring both traditional and new media brands together for one big competition showcasing the country's top journalistic talent. Last year, National Observer won the grand slam 'Best of Canada' COPA in the independent publisher category.

Mike De Souza, Bruce Livesey, National Observer, Canadian Online Publishing Awards
National Observer's managing editor, Mike De Souza, and lead investigative reporter, Bruce Livesey attend the Canadian Online Publishing Awards in Toronto on Mon. Nov. 7, 2016.

This year's batch of nominations comes off the heels of other recent honours: a citation of merit at the Michener Awards, a National Newspaper Award, an investigative reporting award from the Canadian Association of Journalists, and an honourable mention at the Digital Publishing Awards.

Read samples of this year's COPA-nominated work here: