In Pictures: Journalism Awards for Excellence 2019 and 2020

The Journalism Awards for Excellence 2019 and 2020 was held this evening at the Colombo Hilton Hotel. 

The 21st and 22nd editions of the awards were held together this year as the events could not be held over the past two years owing to the COVID pandemic. 

The awards were organised by the Editors Guild of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Press Institute. 

Four veteran journalists were facilitated with lifetime achievement awards at this year's awards ceremony. They were Upali Fonseka, D.P. Wickramasinghe, Pushpa Rowel and the late Saman Chandranath Weerasinghe. 

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times team bagged several awards at this year's awards. 

The Sunday Times Design Team won a Merit Award for Best Designed Newspaper of the Year. Journalist Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera won Business and Finance Journalist of the Year while Sandun Jayawardana won the award for Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year. 

Yomal Senarath Yapa won a Merit Award for the Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year while Kasun Warakapitiya won a Merit Award for Best Environmental Reporter of the Year. S. Rubatheesan was awarded a Merit Award in the category of Investigative Journalist of the Year. Tharushi Weerasinghe won a Merit Award for Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year. A Merit Award for Scoop of the Year went to Kapila Bandara and the Team from Sunday Times. 

The Mervyn De Silva Journalist of the Year 2020 Award was won by Tharindu Uduwaragedara of the Anidda Newspaper. 

Pix by Indika Handuwala