About the SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence

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 2006 a record 457 entries were received from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, 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 2006, the SOPA Awards gala dinner was supported by DHL as the official courier and event sponsor and by Factiva, a Dow Jones and Reuters company.

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).