SOPA 2018 Journalism Awards see highest entries

HONG KONG (China) Apr 11: The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), a Hong Kong-based, not-for-profit organisation, announced on Wednesday that it received more than 850 entries in English and Chinese for the SOPA 2018 Awards for Editorial Excellence, up 13 per cent from 2017 and the highest number since the launch of the awards in 1999, says a Media OutReach press release.

SOPA, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the awards this year has also announced that the keynote speaker at the SOPA Awards Gala Dinner will be Maria Ressa, former bureau chief in Manila and Jakarta with CNN, and now founding member and President of Rappler, a Philippines-based social news network that connects factual reporting with public opinion to foster conversation and drive social change.

The SOPA Awards are recognised as a world-class benchmark for best practices in journalism in the Asia Pacific. That includes journalistic innovation across international, regional and local media platforms in the region. Rappler is a good example of such innovation.

Three finalists from each of the 17 categories will be announced in May 2018, with the winners to be named at the SOPA Awards Gala Dinner, which will take place on June 13 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.