Introduction

I’d like to say at the outset on behalf of myself and my fellow judges that the standard of entries for this year’s Developing Asia Journalism Awards was again very high.

On balance, it was even higher than last year.

We received a total of 138 entries from no fewer than 58 entrants and from across a broad swathe of Asian developing countries. Of these, roughly one third were what we classify as being “young” Journalists (under 30 years of age) and roughly one third were from female journalists. One of my fellow judges, Monzurul Huq, remarked on the fact that many entrants had taken the trouble to have their work translated from their native language into English so that they might enter the competition. This proves, he said, that DAJA is “not only for English language publications but is open to the wider spectrum of journalism throughout Asia.”

I don’t want to say too much at this stage about which entries in particular impressed us most. That might give the game away as to whom we have chosen as this year’s award winners - and we want to maintain the suspense right up to the end!