KOTA KINABALU, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) claimed two Main Awards and four Merit Awards at the 2024 Kinabalu Press Awards here tonight.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor officiated the event and presented the awards to the main category winners, with Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and Sabah Journalists Association (SJA) president Datuk Muguntan Vanar also in attendance.
Bernama secured the Main Award for Best News Report (Non-Feature) in the Malay language, through the efforts of Fadzli Ramli and the late Nur Adika Bujang, for their report on a headmaster who lived in a store room for over three years to serve his students.
The prize included RM2,500 and a certificate.
Nur Adika passed away on March 17 in Sandakan.
Bernama also won the Main Award for Environmental Journalism in the Malay language, through Noorazlina Jindeh, for her piece on human-crocodile conflict in Sabah, and received RM2,500 and a certificate.
Additionally, Fadzli and Arthur Edward earned a Merit Award for Best Feature Article and News Feature in Malay for their report on the group claiming to be the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu.
Rohana Nasrah secured a Merit Award for Best Entertainment, Culture, and Arts Report in Malay for her article on the Jalur Gemilang beadwork.
All Merit winners received RM500 cash and a certificate.
Fadzli also received a Merit Award for Best Business and Economics Report in Malay for his report on Sabah's higher rice prices compared to the Peninsular.
Muqtadir Halim won the Merit Award for Best Photograph.
The 2024 MPRA, organised by the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) Malaysia, received 184 entries, awarding 38 golds, 42 silvers, and 30 bronzes across 35 categories.
Among the categories contested were General Consumer, Integrated and Digital PR, and Student Awards.
The event also presented special awards, namely the PRCA Malaysia Leadership Award to Maimunah and the PRCA Malaysia 'Making A Difference' Community Award to Hartini.
PRCA Malaysia president Prof Mohd Said Bani CM Din said that this year marked the first time the organisation introduced awards for media, noting that Bernama’s strong storytelling earned its accolades tonight.
“Bernama truly deserves the awards because the judges recognised the strength of Bernama’s storytelling, including its highly newsworthy and impactful content.
“The second factor is the narrative approach, and third, the importance of the stories being told. Among the criteria considered were how the stories were visually presented, for instance, through images. While layout may not be critical for online platforms, the way narratives are displayed with accompanying visuals is crucial. That’s one of the key criteria,” he said.
Established in 1969, PRCA aims to elevate standards in public relations and communications, provide industry data to its members, facilitate best practice sharing, and create networking opportunities.
-- BERNAMA
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