China Daily's app was named the "Highly Commended" news app of the year at the newsawards 2019 in London on Wednesday.

The result was announced at the gala dinner held at the Royal Lancaster London. China Daily beat two other nominees - The Independent and the Belfast Telegraph - to win the honor.

The China Daily app offers "a powerful mix of technology and innovation, with great clarity on audience needs," said the judges.

Through 10 years of dedication to quality journalism and technological innovation, the app now is a market leader with over 20 million downloads.

Besides its accurate, timely and engaging news reporting, the app also provides the go-to source for foreigners interested in travel, study or work in China.

"One judge particularly enjoyed the intelligent algorithm basis of the newsfeed. The China Daily app has enormous scale, is easy to use and is very reader friendly," said the judging panel.

Over 500 news media industry executives, journalists, sponsors and suppliers attended the 2019 event.

The Guardian walked away with the top prize.