Legion Magazine has won silver at the 2016 Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAs), presented by Masthead for the interactive, bilingual web experience, Blood in the Mud or Du Sang dans la Boue.

The award, which was presented in Toronto on Nov. 7, was in the Best Interactive Story category.

“This is the magazine’s first nomination and first win at the COPAs,” said General Manager Jennifer Morse. “Although we have worked in the digital world for some time, we are delighted to win for creating a website which can be used in schools, museums and to educate Canadians about their history. The response has been tremendous.”

Blood in the Mud is a Parallax scrolling website that examines the role of the Newfoundland Regiment and the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the monumental First World War battle that took place on both sides of the Somme River in France, from July 1 to Nov. 18, 1916. The Newfoundlanders were all but wiped out in 30 minutes during the assault at Beaumont-Hamel on the first day of the battle. The Battle of the Somme continued for more than four months and more than 1.3 million soldiers on both sides were killed or wounded.

The educational website provides a virtual battlefield tour with timelines, maps, photos and a video of the battlefield today. Legion Magazine pays tribute to the sacrifices of the soldiers, placing the events of Beaumont-Hamel into the context of the Battle of the Somme and the greater war.

The COPAs were established in 2009 as the premier digital publishing awards program in Canada by Masthead, the website that is the publishing industry’s leading neutral source of news.