The Society of Publishers in Asia

EDITORIAL AWARDS

Editorial Awards > Overview

About the Awards

History

The Society of Publishers in Asia Awards for Editorial Excellence was established in 1999 as a tribute to editorial excellence in both traditional and new media and was designed to honor excellence and to encourage editorial vitality throughout the region.

Growing industry recognition of the Awards as setting a benchmark for regional publishing has become evident in the year-on-year increase in entries. In 2008 a record 629 entries were received from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Japan, and the United States.

The awards cover a broad range of categories reflecting Asia's diverse geo-political environment and vibrant editorial scene. To encourage entries from both large and small publications, entries are classified by circulation size and language type - either English or Chinese.

Key to the Award's growing success is the high caliber of international judges who preside over the Award entries. Each year, the number of judges willing to dedicate their time to the Awards has grown and this year SOPA has 85 professional journalists, design experts and photographic editors collaborated to select winners.

The SOPA Awards are co-ordinated by a committee of publishing professionals from the business and editorial sectors. These dedicated individuals volunteer their time throughout the year to ensure the Award rules, judges, entries, event, sponsorship and promotion all come together smoothly.

Corporate Support

Sponsorship is key to ensuring the Award's growth and over the past years, SOPA has been fortunate to receive the support of InvestHK. As the Awards have grown, so too has the interest from corporations, and in 2008, the SOPA Awards was also supported by CLSA and Ipsos Media.

International Recognition

The SOPA Awards are supported by a number of international media organizations and regional media industry press; Ifra Asia, International Federation of the Periodical Press (FIPP), the World Editors Forum (WEF), and the editorial division of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN).

Committee

2008 Sub-committee Members

Kevin Brown (Chairman)
David Plott (Head of Judges)
Zoher Abdoolcarim
Cliff Buddle
Tom Leander
Liu Kin Ming
Robyn Meredith
Frank Proctor
Peter Stein

2007 Sub-committee Members

Kevin Brown (Chairman)
John Bussey
Dr. Cheung Kwai-yeung
Ho Kay Tat
C.K. Lau
Tom Leander
Robyn Meredith
David Plott
Frank Proctor
Felix Soh

2006 Sub-committee Members

Mark Clifford (Chairman)
Kevin Brown
Dr. Cheung Kwai-yeung
Reginald Chua
C.K. Lau
Ho Kay Tat
Tom Leander
David Plott
Frank Proctor
Felix Soh
Azmar Sukandar

2005 Sub-committee Members

Simone Wheeler (Chairman)
Reginald Chua
Mark Clifford
Tom Leander
Robyn Meredith
Gene Mustain
John Ridding
Azmar Sukandar

2004 Sub-committee Members

Simone Wheeler (Chairman)
Reginald Chua
Tom Leander
Kin-Ming Liu
Robyn Meredith
Gene Mustain
Azmar Sukandar

2003 Sub-committee Members

Simone Wheeler (Chairman)
Amanda Turnbull
Azmar Sukandar
Reginald Chua
Robyn Meredith
Thomas Crampton
Zoher Abdoolcarim

2002 Sub-committee Members

Simone Wheeler (Chairman)
Zoher Abdoolcarim
Mary Frances Bellman
Emma Fung
Amanda Turnbull
Azmar Sukandar

Award Categories

Category A
Regional newspapers, large magazines and wire services published in English

Excellence in Explanatory Reporting
Excellence in Feature Writing
Excellence in Human Rights Reporting
Excellence in Special Issue / Special Section
Excellence in Feature Photography
Excellence in News Photography
Excellence in Newspaper Design
Excellence in Magazine Design
Excellence in Magazine Front Cover Design
Excellence in Business Reporting
Excellence in Reporting on the Environment
Excellence in Opinion Writing
Excellence in Public Service Journalism
Excellence in Reporting of Breaking News
The Scoop Award

Category B
Local newspapers or small magazines published in English

Excellence in Explanatory Reporting
Excellence in Feature Writing
Excellence in Human Rights Reporting
Excellence in Special Issue / Special Section
Excellence in Feature Photography
Excellence in News Photography
Excellence in Editorial Cartooning
Excellence in Newspaper Design
Excellence in Magazine Design
Excellence in Magazine Front Cover Design
Excellence in Business Reporting
Excellence in Reporting on the Environment
Excellence in Opinion Writing
Excellence in Public Service Journalism
Excellence in Reporting of Breaking News
The Scoop Award

Category C
Chinese-language publications

The Local Journalist Award

Local Journalist Award - English-language
Local Journalist Award - Chinese-language

Judging Process

Three-person panels are appointed to judge each category, comprising experienced journalists and former journalists from around the world. The judges assess and discuss the entries and decide on the winner. In the case of questions or a deadlock, they seek the assistance of the Director of Judges, who is a member of the SOPA editorial board.

The judges and Director of Judges are chosen so as to ensure there are no conflicts of interest or potential conflicts of interest with the publications entering the category they are judging.

Awards Ceremony

Sponsor the Awards

Current Sponsors

Past sponsors

Sponsorship Options

Press Coverage

Awards Q & A

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