HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 30 April, 2015 - The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) has received a record breaking number of entries for the upcoming SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence.
Entering its 17th anniversary, the SOPA Awards received over 600 entries in English and Chinese. The Awards are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards in the publishing industry. Shortlisted finalists will be announced in May, and the winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner on Wednesday, June 10, 2015, at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
"I'm delighted to report strong participation from publications from all over Asia. SOPA plays an indispensable role as standard bearer of journalistic excellence and supporter of a free press in Asia. The lively response this year is a healthy sign that a free press in the region thrives, despite the obstacles standing in its way," said Mr. Tom Leander, Chairman of the SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence Awards Committee.
The SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence covers 18 categories including news, photography, lifestyle and design. New judging criteria for the award category is adopted and the resulting "Journalist of the Year" in only one winner. Last year, various renowned local and international news agenciesreceived awards such as Reuters, Financial Times. The Journalist of the Year was Mr. Todd Pitman from The Associated Press.
This year SOPA is honoured to have Jimmy Lai, founder of Next Media Group, as the evening's distinguished speaker, interviewed by Hugo Restall of The Wall Street Journal.
Each category will be evaluated by a panel of judges appointed by the Awards Administrators, JMSC of the Hong Kong University, and conducted by a team of more than 100 international judges around the globe including journalists, editors, columnists from leading publications, and notable academics from media departments of prestigious universities. The judging panel will be led by Head of Judges, Jeffrey Timmermans, a Director of the undergraduate journalism program at The University of Hong Kong and expert journalist. The Deputy Head of Judge will be King-wa Fu, an assistant professor at The University of Hong Kong's Journalism & Media Studies Centre.
Mr. Raymond Warhola, Chairman of SOPA, said, "The quantity and quality of the 2015 entries underscore the importance of SOPA's stewardship of these essential awards, the most important contest for journalistic excellence in the region. While the awards are SOPA's centrepiece event, our organization is also adding workshops for journalists, panel discussions for publishers and advertisers and webinars. As publishing in Asia grows and evolves, SOPA is growing with it, serving the community and upholding the industry's best values."
This year SOPA is organising a new daytime program on the same day as the Gala dinner on June 10th. A journalist workshop presentation will be held in the morning at Journalism & Media Studies Centre at The University of Hong Kong. Presenters from CommonWealth, International New York Times, Quartz and The Wall Street Journal will share the happenings in news journalism reporting on the past events such as the Occupy Hong Kong. Tours of Google and Bloomberg Media offices will be held in the afternoon.
The SOPA 2015 Awards for Editorial Excellence is supported by Invest Hong Kong (Platinum Sponsor) and Google (Silver Sponsor). K11 is the Supporting Sponsor. CatchOn is the public relations partner, and Media OutReach is the newswire partner.
Tickets for the Awards presentation dinner are now available. Early bird pricing specials are available now until May 8th. To reserve your tickets for the SOPA 2015 Awards for Editorial Excellence at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 10, 2015, please contact the SOPA Secretariat at Tel: +852 3589-9778 / mail@sopasia.com or visit http://www.sopawards.com.
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About SOPA The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) was founded in 1982 to promote both local publishers and local representatives of foreign publishers in Asia, with a view to fostering better cooperation and understanding among members. It is based in Hong Kong and represents international, regional and local media companies in Hong Kong and around Asia. SOPA is a not for profit organization. It hosts the prestigious annual SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence to set world-class benchmarks for journalism in Asia. The Society of Publishers in Asia exists to promote excellence in journalism and best practices across all local and regional publishing platforms in Asia Pacific. Distributed on behalf of The Society of Publishers in Asia by newswire partner Media OutReach.
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