SOPA 2024 Awards for Editorial Excellence opens for entries, showcasing Asia’s finest journalism

The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), a leading non-profit organization championing journalistic excellence, has announced the opening of its prestigious SOPA 2024 Awards for Editorial Excellence.

These highly anticipated awards set the benchmark for outstanding journalism in Asia, celebrating the region’s commitment to professional and impactful reporting.

Set to close at 3 pm Hong Kong time on February 22, 2024, these awards recognize the crème de la crème of journalism in Asia.

The annual awards give smaller publications across the Asia Pacific region an opportunity to showcase their reporting on local grassroots issues as well as regional ones.

In 2023, The World of Chinese received an award for excellence for a story on a brutal assault in Tangshan and how it highlighted the need for education on sexual consent in China. Myanmar Now, meanwhile, won an award for excellence for its fearless reporting on those standing up to the country’s vicious junta.

Building on its legacy, SOPA introduces significant updates this year, including an extended length limit for the Excellence in Video Reporting category from 15 minutes to 20 minutes and dual recognition in the Young Journalists category for both English and Chinese-language journalists.

Highlighting the event’s diversity, the SOPA Awards continue to honour exceptional Bahasa Indonesia News Reporting, a testament to the rich tapestry of stories emerging from the region. Last year’s winner in this category, a collaborative piece on the Indonesian palm oil industry, underscores the awards’ focus on impactful storytelling that shapes public discourse.

Danielle McGuigan of the Financial Times and Sunita Rajan of Bloomberg, serving as SOPA Board Co-Chairs, emphasize the awards as a celebration of journalistic excellence in the Asia Pacific. They note the importance of recognizing diverse media landscapes and unique narratives from Asia.

Echoing this sentiment, Editorial Committee Co-Chairs Yi-Shan Chen of CommonWealth Magazine and Bill Ridgers of The Economist highlight SOPA’s role since 1982 in honouring journalists who have courageously told Asia’s stories. This recognition, they say, is more crucial than ever.

The awards offer a platform for smaller publications to showcase their work on both local and regional issues. In 2023, The World of Chinese and Myanmar Now were lauded for their exceptional reporting on social and political challenges in their respective countries.

Overseen by the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at The University of Hong Kong since 2011, the awards attract industry professionals and past winners as judges. With over 800 entries in the previous year, the competition is fierce, showcasing the best in Asian journalism.

For a limited time, SOPA is offering significant discounts on memberships and award entries, encouraging wider participation. Details for submissions and eligibility can be found on the SOPA website, with finalists to be announced in May 2024 and winners in June.