August 11, 2005, Hong Kong – The South China Morning Post last night won special praise for its outstanding Asian Tsunami coverage at the annual awards of the Asia-Pacific region’s premier newspaper organisation.
The paper’s entry was singled out for commendation in the Newspaper of the Year competition at the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association (PANPA) annual awards, and it was also judged a "clear" winner in both of the awards’ technical categories for excellence in printing and picture reproduction.
PANPA is the biggest industry association for Asia-Pacific newspapers, and with a membership of nearly 200 newspaper groups across 18 countries it takes in every major title in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Australia and New Zealand.
The annual awards, the most fiercely contested in Asia, were presented last night in an Oscar-style ceremony on the final evening of the PANPA Annual Conference, which ran from August 8-10 in the northern Australian tourism centre of Cairns.
The South China Morning Post‘s entry in the over-50,000 circulation category of the Norske Skog Newspaper of The Year competition highlighted its news reporting in the aftermath of last December’s devastating Asian Tsunami, its Operation Santa Claus charity effort, which raised nearly $10 million for tsunami victims in just a fortnight, and the special series "Asian Tsunami: Recovery and Rediscovery", reviewing progress of relief efforts 100 days after the disaster.
The entry was alone in being highly commended by the judges following the award to the overall winner, Melbourne’s Herald Sun, one of Australia’s biggest and most successful tabloid papers.
For technical printing quality, meanwhile, the PANPA judges were unambiguous in saying that the South China Morning Post was unrivalled. "There was no contest: the South China Morning Post was clearly superior to all other entries," they said.
This is the second year in a row the paper has won the overall printing award in its category, the Award for Technical Excellence in a Newspaper Printed on a Double-Width Press up to Four Webs. It is also the fifth time in six years it has won the Award for Technical Excellence for Pre-Print/Supplement Printed on a Double-Width Press. It was also the winner in 2000 (the first year of the category award), 2001, 2003 and 2004.
David Armstrong, the South China Morning Post‘s Director, Editorial, hailed the awards. "Our success underlines both our commitment to quality journalism for the community we serve and our superlative printing standards," he said.
"The entry we submitted for Newspaper of the Year was recognised as outstanding for its depth of coverage and the contribution we were able to make in helping to harness Hong Kong’s generosity for victims and those affected by the Asian Tsunami. It is also, therefore, a tribute to our readers’ response, and a source of great pride that we continue to be able to make a difference in our community.
"The two technical award wins also cement our unrivalled reputation for printing quality, and continue our tradition of leading the field in a relentlessly competitive newspaper market.
"All in all, the awards highlight the Post‘s position as an all-round market-leader and one of the best newspapers in Asia."
The awards continue a hugely successful year for the South China Morning Post, with its reputation for editorial excellence recognized over the past six months with a long list of awards, including:
- One category win and five merits in the 10th Annual Human Rights Press Awards
- Five category wins for excellence and two honourable mentions from the Society of Publishers in Asia Editorial Awards 2005
- Two top design awards in the IFRA Asia Media Awards 2005, and two in the Society for News Design’s 26th Best of Newspaper Design Competition
- 12 winners and runners-up for journalism and photography at the Hong Kong News Awards 2004
The South China Morning Post is Hong Kong’s leading English-language daily newspaper. It is the only English-language newspaper officially audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. Its circulation from January to June 2005 was 101,872.
The Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers’ Association is an industry association, founded in 1969, representing newspapers in the Asia-Pacific region. A not-for-profit organisation, PANPA seeks to connect its members with the world’s best industry practice and to promote awareness and understanding of newspapers within the community. It acts as an information exchange for the newspaper industry through a regular magazine, specialist workshops and seminars covering all aspects of the newspaper industry, and the Annual Conference.
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For media enquiry, please contact:
Prudence Lai
Manager, Marketing and Communications
South China Morning Post Publishers Limited
Tel: (852) 2565 2415
Fax: (852) 2565 2429
Email: pruence.lai@scmp.com
About the South China Morning Post
The South China Morning Post is Asia’s premier English language daily with the highest circulation of any English language newspaper in Hong Kong. With 100 years of history, the South China Morning Post is widely read by affluent and well-educated decision makers, managers and executives in Hong Kong. According to the AC Nielsen 2004 Media Index Report, it has 96% of the English language newspaper readership in Hong Kong. It is also the market leader in display and recruitment advertising in Hong Kong. Its subscription-based Internet edition, SCMP.com offers global access to the editorial content of the newspaper, breaking news updates throughout the day, e-newsletters and news on PDA.
The South China Morning Post receives constant recognition for its editorial and technical capability. Awards recently won included two excellence technical awards in PANPA Awards 2005, six awards in 10th Annual Human Rights Press Awards, five excellence editorial awards in SOPA 2005, two design awards in the IFRA 2005, two design awards from 26th Best of Newspaper Design Competition, and Hong Kong News Awards 2004 including for Best News Writing and Best Business News Writing.
South China Morning Post Publishers Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCMP Group Limited. SCMP Group is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.