Nikkei Asia wins top honors at region's leading journalism awards

HONG KONG -- Nikkei Asia won the explanatory reporting award on Thursday at the Society of Publishers in Asia Awards for Editorial Excellence.

With prizes given in 21 categories, the publication was also nominated in the tech reporting and infographics categories at the SOPA awards ceremony in Hong Kong.

The awards are recognized as Asia's premier media prize. Their global section attracts entries from prominent English-language media organizations around the world.

Nikkei Asia, a Tokyo-based business media platform that publishes online news and a weekly print magazine, won the award for excellence in explanatory reporting in the competition for global media.

The series "Asia's Age of Hydropolitics," which was edited by Jui Chakravorty and Michael Peel, looked at how the actions of upstream nations, exacerbated by climate change, have affected countries downstream.

The judges called it a "great overview of the role of water and water politics is playing and will play" in the economic, social, political and environmental evolution of Asia.

The first article, reported by Pak Yiu, focuses on China's efforts to enhance water security and the potentially far-reaching consequences for neighboring nations.

The second installment, authored by Kiran Sharma, Sanskrita Bharadwaj and Faisal Mahmud, examines how the conflicts between India and China over dam construction have impacted Bangladesh's rivers and affected the daily lives of millions.

A third article, written by Lien Hoang, highlights how farmers in Vietnam are finding creative solutions in response to China's dams and the challenges posed by climate change.

Shin Nakayama, editor-in-chief of Nikkei Asia, said this award confirms that the publication continues to produce high-quality journalism as a global media company in Asia.

"This is a recognition of the strength of our teamwork by colleagues from across the region. We hope to continue to grow as a media organization that can cover the wide range of issues facing Asia from an Asian perspective," he said.

SOPA, established in 1982, serves as a representative body for media companies across Asia, promoting best practices in the industry. The SOPA awards, launched in 1999, are administered by the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at the University of Hong Kong. Panels comprised of experienced journalists and academics evaluate submissions.

The Financial Times, also a Nikkei company, won in the excellence in journalistic innovation category for a piece on "Satellites, drones, and programming tools reveal the transformation of China's mosques."

It also notched honorable mentions in business reporting and opinion writing.