The SOPA 2013 Awards for Editorial Excellence launches call for entries
SOPA to turn over a new page in its 15th anniversary by introducing an online system for easy submission and payment
Hong Kong, December 20, 2012 – The Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA), an organization dedicated to best practices in professional publishing, is pleased to announce the launch of the “SOPA 2013 Awards for Editorial Excellence”. The awards represent the premier journalistic accolade in Asia and celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2013. To mark that milestone, SOPA will introduce a new online system to ease the entry process for all participants.
Established in 1999, the awards highlight editorial excellence in both traditional and new media and are designed to honor and encourage editorial vitality and innovation throughout the region, and welcome entries from English and Chinese-language publications for Asian journalism. The awards cover a broad range of categories reflecting Asia’s diverse geo-political environment and vibrant editorial scene. We received overwhelming responses last year from all over the world, with a strong increase in Chinese-language entries.
“The SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence raise the bar for journalistic excellence amongst the region’s best newspapers, magazines, wire services and websites,” said Tom Leander, Chairman of the SOPA Editorial Awards Sub-committee.
“This is particularly important in the current political and economic climate. In many places throughout the region, journalists run high risks for excellent, challenging coverage. Moreover, news organizations are under considerable economic pressure, making it tougher for journalists to do their jobs well. Yet journalists strive to keep the public informed about the key issues and their dogged efforts and enterprising coverage deserve to be applauded and acknowledged.”
The SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence has consistently secured judges comprised of journalists, designers and photo editors from many of the region’s leading newspapers and consumer and trade magazines as well as notable academics from the journalism and media departments of prestigious universities.
Judging for the 2013 Awards will be conducted by a team of more than 100 international judges stationed across the globe. Judging will be led by Head of Judges, Judith Clarke, coordinator of the International Journalism undergraduate concentration at Hong Kong Baptist University. Dr. Clarke also coordinates the International Media Salon series of public talks as well as the Masters of Arts in International Journalism Studies tutorial programme at the school.
To encourage various entries from both large and small publications, entries are classified by circulation size and language type – either English or Chinese.
Starting with 2013 Awards, all submissions will only be accepted online and payments via PayPal and all finalists will also be pre-announced for the first time in May. Please register before the deadline date of Feb 15th 2013.
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. Issued on behalf of The Society of Publishers in Asia by New Point Marketing Limited
For further information, please contact:
Ms. Cherry Chan
SOPA Secretariat
Tel: +852 3589-9778
Email: [email protected]