Take in the sights and sounds of the Istana from a bird's eye view, before swooping in up close for intimate details of its main building and little-known spots - all without stepping into the national monument.

A multimedia project on one of Singapore's most well-known landmarks has won The Straits Times a key award at a prestigious international contest for infographics.

ST clinched a silver medal for Inside The Istana and three bronze medals this year in its best showing at the Malofiej 28th International Infographics Awards, known as the Pulitzers for infographics.

Organised by the Society for News Design - Spain, this year's edition saw 1,000 entries from 162 media outlets across 34 countries. A total of 170 medals for both print and digital media were awarded last week at the Malofiej Infographics World Summit in Pamplona, Spain.

The ST project was launched last year in collaboration with the Istana to mark its 150th anniversary.

It takes readers through a virtual tour of the official residence of Singapore's president with immersive storytelling features, such as augmented reality and 360-degree video. Key highlights include never-before-seen aerial views of the sprawling Istana grounds, and unprecedented access to lesser-known spots, such as an air raid shelter dating back to World War II.

The project was incorporated into the Istana's first virtual National Day Open House on Aug 2. The event was hosted on President Halimah Yacob's Facebook and Instagram platforms owing to Covid-19 restrictions.

Said ST digital editor Ong Hwee Hwee: "This insider tour of the Istana shows the value and potential of immersive storytelling, especially at a time when physical events have gone online because of the Covid-19 pandemic. We were grateful to be given access to the Istana for this special collaboration.

"We are delighted that several of our interactive projects, which use innovative ways to present information, are among the very best recognised at this prestigious event."

It took the ST team about three months to complete the project.

ST interactive graphics editor Rodolfo Pazos said that its success would not have been possible without the diverse skills of ST's digital graphics, photo and video teams, and the collaboration with the Singapore Press Holdings' tech team.

He said: "To receive four medals, and with one of them a silver, is an achievement that will motivate us to deliver even better works."

The other three projects which won bronze medals were on the Hong Kong-Beijing high-speed rail, Singapore's interesting street names, and e-commerce packaging waste.