Wijeya Newspaper group wins 16 Journalism awards

The Wijeya Newspaper group secured 16 awards out of 39 offered at the Journalism Awards for Excellence - 2023 held at the Mount Lavinia Hotel on Tuesday.

The Sunday Times won seven of these awards.

The chief guest of the journalism awards was Professor Savitri Goonesekere

The Sunday Times winners were:

Deputy Editor (Investigations) Namini Wijedasa won two awards - Investigative Journalist of the Year and Prof. Kailasapathy Award for Best News or Feature using RTI (Right to Information).

Nadia Fazlulhaq won the award for Best Health Care and Medical Reporter of the Year (English).

Kasun Warakapitiya won the award for Environmental Reporter of the Year (English).

Tharushi Weerasinghe won the Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year award (English).

Senuka Jayakody won the Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year award.

The Sunday Times also won the award for Best Designed Newspaper of the Year. ( English)

 Five journalists were awarded life time achievement award for long and distinguished service to the journalist profession. They were Mr Bennet Rupasinghe,  Ms Chandrika Wijesundare,  MrN.M Ameen,  Ms Zanita Careem,  Mr A.Yogamoorthi.

The full list of winners were

1. Mervyn De Silva Journalist of the Year – Single Award

Winner: Sulochana Ramiah Mohan – Ceylon Today

Merit: I. Robert Antony – Virakesari

2. Best Health Care & Medical Reporter of the year – Sinhala

Winner: Illankoon Arachchilage Sureka Nilmini Illankoon – Silumina

Merit: No merit

3. Best Health Care & Medical Reporter of the year – Tamil

Winner: Muththu Marikkar Mohammed Marlin - Thinakaran

Merit: Mohammed Hussain Fathima Husna – Thinakkural

4. Best Health Care & Medical Reporter of the year – English

Winner: Nadia Fazlulhaq – The Sunday Times

Merit: No merit

5. Sports Journalists of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Fawz Mohomed - Silumina

Merit: No merit

6. Sports Journalists of the Year – Tamil

Winner: SM.S. Mohamed Firdous - Thinakaran

Merit: No merit

7. Sports Journalists of the Year – English

Winner: No submission

Merit: No submission

8. Business & Finance Journalist of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: No winner

Merit - Kotudurage Rasika Nilantha – Silumina

9. Business & Finance Journalist of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Anantha Ganesha Sarma Swaminathan - Virakesari

Merit: NO MERIT

10.Business & Finance Journalist of the Year – English

Winner: Madhusha Thavapalakumar – The Sunday Morning

Merit: No merit

11.Prof. Kailasapathy Award for Best News or Feature using RTI – Sinhala

Winner: Mithun Jayawardhana - Mawbima

Merit: No merit

12. Prof. Kailasapathy Award for Best News or Feature using RTI – Tamil

Winner: Karuppaiya Prasannakumar - Thinakkural

Merit: – S. Sivakumaran - Virakesari and A.A.M. Rifthi Ali – Thamilan

13. Prof. Kailasapathy Award for Best News or Feature using RTI – English

Winner: Namini Nimilamalee Wijedasa – The Sunday Times

Merit: No merit

14.B. A. Siriwardena Columnist of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Shirley Anil De Silva – Lankadeepa Daily

Merit: No merit

15. B. A. Siriwardena Columnist of the Year – Tamil

Winner: S. Sivakumaran - Virakesari

Merit: No merit

16. B. A. Siriwardena Columnist of the Year – English

Winner: No submission

Merit: No submission

17.Subramaniam Chettiar Award for Reporting on Social Issues – Single

Award

Winner: Kamanthi Wickramasinghe – Daily Mirror

Merit: R. Ramkumar - Virakesari and Illeperuma Arachchige Don Nadira

Kumari Gunatilleke – Daily News

18.Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Harsha Sugathadasa – Divaina Sunday

Merit: No merit

19. Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Hassthani Radhakrishnan - Virakesari

Merit: Kamil Asmy Mohamed Shabeer - Vidivelli and R. Ramkumar -

Virakesari

20. Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year – English

Winner: Tharushi Weerasinghe – The Sunday Times

Merit: No merit

21.Investigative Journalist of the Year – Single Award

Winner: Namini Nimilamalee Wijedasa – The Sunday Times

Merit: No merit

22.Scoop of the Year – Single Award

Winner: No award

Merit: No award

23.Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year – Single Award

Winner: Jayakody Arachchige Senuka Thiyasara Jayakody – The Sunday Times

Merit: No merit

24.Best Environmental Reporter of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Kanahara Arachchige Jagath Kumara Kanahara - Arachchi

Merit: No merit

25. Best Environmental Reporter of the Year – Tamil

Winner: R. Ramkumar - Virakesari

Merit: No merit

26. Best Environmental Reporter of the Year – English

Winner: Kasun Chethana Gamage Warakapitiya – The Sunday Times

Merit: No merit

27.Best Designed Newspaper of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Deshaya

Merit: NO MERIT

28. Best Designed Newspaper of the Year – Tamil

Winner: No winner

Merit: Virakesari weekly and Thinakkural

29. Best Designed Newspaper of the Year – English

Winner: Asitha Rathnayake - SUNDAY TIMES

Merit: No merit

30. Cartoonist of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Awantha Artigala – Sunday Lankedeepa

Merit: No merit

31. Cartoonist of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Namal Amarasinghe – Tamil Mirror

Merit: No merit

32. Cartoonist of the Year – English

Winner: Awantha Artigala – Daily Mirror

Merit: No merit

33.Photojournalist of the Year: - Single Award

Winner: Kankanam Pathirana Pradeep – Daily Mirror

Merit: Saman Kumara Abesiriwardana – Sathi Aga Aruna

Online Newspapers

34. Best Designed News Website – Sinhala

Winner: lankadeepa.lk

Merit: NO MERIT

35. Best Designed News Website – Tamil

Winner: virakesari.lk

Merit: thamilan.lk and tamilmirror.lk

36. Best Designed News Website – English

Winner: ft.lk

Merit: dailymirror.lk and themorning.lk

37. Best Video Story-telling – Sinhala

Winner: NO AWARD

Merit: NO MERIT

38. Best Video Story-telling – Tamil

Winner: Virakesari Digital

Merit: Logeswaran Selvaraja - Virakesari and Lucias – Virakesari

39. Best Video Story-Telling – English

Winner: G.M. Lahiru Chamara Doloswala

Merit: No Merit