Sri Lanka Journalism Awards for Excellence
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
The Sri Lanka Journalism Awards for Excellence[1] is an awards ceremony held annually in Sri Lanka to recognize the achievements of print media journalists working in the country’s three main languages – Sinhala, Tamil and English.
It is the biggest print media awards programme in the country and is the only independent print media awards ceremony that has no affiliations or obligations to the government or any private institutions.
In addition to awarding the top achievers of several categories in the print media each year, it also honours those who have served the journalistic profession for more than 40 years with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Each winner receives a trophy made in the shape of the nib of a fountain pen and a certificate. Applicants who do not win a category but have satisfied the standards set by the panel of judges receive merit awards which are only certificates.
No cash or other prizes and incentives are offered to the winners. In some years, the winners received other gifts such as mobile phones or tablets along with their awards.
History[edit]
The Journalism Awards Programme was inaugurated in 1999 by The Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka (TEGOSL) following the “Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility.”[2]
In 2004, the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) was established and from then on, the Awards Night was jointly organized by TEGOSL and the SLPI.
The inaugural ceremony was held at TransAsia Hotel in Colombo.[3] After that, the ceremony moved to Mount Lavinia Hotel which became a co-sponsor of the event and became the host for every ceremony after that. Usually, the ceremony is held in the last week of July every year.
Entry and prize considerations[edit]
The Journalism Awards for Excellence programme does not automatically consider all applicable works in media. All interested candidates are invited every year to apply for an award in a category of their choice. Generally, the entries close in the last week of March every year.
To be considered for an award, the qualifying work should have been published in a Sri Lankan newspaper between January 1 and December 31 of the preceding year.
To qualify for awards, the applicant should be a full-time journalist, a journalism student doing an internship or someone who had a minimum of ten articles published in a newspaper during the previous calendar year.[4]
The organisers announce the application deadline in media and also on the Sri Lanka Press Institute website.
Along with the newspaper articles, candidates are required to submit an application form which can be downloaded from the Sri Lanka Press Institute website.
The organisers appoint a panel of judges every year and this panel is allowed to meet and consider the entries independently.
There is no competitive process or an involvement of the judges for three of the main award categories. These “Special Awards” are conferred by the TEGSOL as determined by them. The Special Awards categories are; “D. R. Wijewardene Award for Earning the Appreciation of Peers and the Public”, “Sepala Gunasena Award for Defending Press Freedom in Sri Lanka” and “Long and Distinguished Service”.[5]
Changes in Award categories[edit]
The award categories have changed over the years. Some new categories have been introduced; some categories have been abandoned while some categories have undergone changes to the name of the category.
From 2000 to 2006, there were three separate awards named D.B. Dhanapala award for Best Journalist in Sinhala Language, D. B. Dhanapala award for Best Journalist in Tamil Language and D. B. Dhanapala award for Best Journalist in English Language. This was in addition to the main award Mervyn de Silva Award for Journalist of the Year. But D.B. Dhanapala Awards were abandoned in 2006.
The Upali Wijewardene Award for Human Interest Reporting category underwent a change of name to Upali Wijewardene Award for Feature writer of the year after the first two years.
Best Environmental Reporter of The Year was initially known as the Best Environmental Report of the Year.
D. B. Dhanapala Award for the Scoop of the Year later shed “D. B. Dhanapala Award” from its category title, and is now known as the “Scoop of the Year”
A significant new category for Investigative Journalist of the Year was introduced in 2008, while a new category for news websites was introduced from 2016. Best Health Care and Medical Reporter category was introduced in 2017.
An award for Best TV News Story was offered in 2007 but was abandoned after that.
Several Award categories started as one main award but were later divided into three language categories later.
Controversies[edit]
Journalists of the Leader Group of Publications which published the newspapers The Sunday Leader, The Morning Leader and Irudina boycotted the 2003 programme to show solidarity with one of their colleagues Frederica Jansz alleging that Jansz had to face harassment from the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka regarding her application.[6] Incidentally, Jansz won the top award – “Mervyn de Silva Award for Journalist of the Year” at the following year’s edition of the programme.
Then in 2007, the Leader Group claimed that a new regulation introduced by the organisers forced them out of contention for awards.[7] The newspaper published an article alleging that the new regulation made it mandatory for all applications to be endorsed by the editor of the publication to the fact that the applicant subscribed to the Code of Ethics[8] of the Editors’ Guild and the Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka.
All editors of the group including The Sunday Leader Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge were not members of the Editors’ Guild and did not subscribe to the Press Complaints Commission or the mandate of the Sri Lanka Press Institute. It effectively meant that the journalists of the Group were not eligible to apply for awards.
Interestingly, until that year, The Sunday Leader was one of the most successful publications at the awards programme producing the winner of Journalist of the Year Award every year except in 1998 and 2001. (They boycotted the event in 2003).
Two years later, journalists from the Leader Group of Publications resumed taking part in the programme as some regulations were changed. Wickrematunge was assassinated in 2009.
Multiple award winning journalists (more than four)[edit]
- 9 – Sonali Samarasinghe (The Sunday Leader) – Mervyn de Silva Journalist of the Year 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, D. B. Dhanapala Award for Best Journalist of the Year - English Language Press 2000, Scoop of the Year 1998, 2000, 2006, B. A. Siriwardene Award for the Columnist of the Year (English) 2006
- 7 – Ranee Mohamed (The Sunday Leader) - D. B. Dhanapala Award for Best Journalist of the Year - English Language Press 2006, D.R. Wijewardene Award for Earning the Appreciation of His/Her Peers and the General Public 2000, 2002, Upali Wijewardene Award for Feature Writer of The Year 2001, (English) 2009, Upali Wijewardene Award for Human Interest Reporting 1998, 1999
- 7 – Channaka de Silva (Daily Mirror) – Scoop of the Year 2012, Sports Journalist of the Year 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
- 6 - Robert Antony (Virakesari) - Upali Wijewardene Award for Feature Writer of The Year (Tamil) 2015, 2017, 2018 Business Journalist of the Year (Tamil) 2012, 2014, 2016
- 5 – K. Sanjeewa (Ravaya) - Mervyn de Silva Journalist of the Year 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, Subramaniam Chettiar Social Development Reporter of the Year 2014
- 5 – Namini Wijedasa (Lakbima News, The Island, The Sunday Times) - Mervyn de Silva Journalist of the Year 2009, D.R. Wijewardene Award for Earning the Appreciation of His/Her Peers and the General Public 2005, 2016, B. A. Siriwardene Award for the Columnist of the Year (English) 2004, Investigative Journalist of the Year 2015
- 5 - Dharisha Bastians (The Nation/ Daily FT/Daily Mirror) - Mervyn de Silva Journalist of the Year 2007, 2013, Upali Wijewardene Award for Feature Writer of The Year (English) 2006, B. A. Siriwardene Award for the Columnist of the Year (English) 2013, Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year 2005
- 5 – Wimalanath Weeraratne (Ravaya) - B. A. Siriwardene Award for the Columnist of the Year (Sinhala) 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
- 4 – Ranjith Ananda Jayasinghe (Lankadeepa/Irida Lankadeepa) - Mervyn de Silva Journalist of the Year 2001, D. B. Dhanapala Award for Best Journalist of the Year - Sinhala Language Press 2000, 2001, Scoop of the Year 2003
- 4 – Dilrukshi Handunnetti (The Sunday Leader/Ceylon Today/The Sunday Times) - Mervyn de Silva Journalist of the Year 2012, D. B. Dhanapala Award for Best Journalist of the Year - English Language Press 2005, Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year 2000, Best Environmental Report of the Year 2001
- 4 – Chandani Kirinde (The Sunday Times) - Upali Wijewardene Award for Feature Writer of The Year (English) 2010, 2015, B. A. Siriwardene Award for the Columnist of the Year (English) 2009, 2011
- 4 – Awantha Artigala (Daily Mirror) – Cartoonist of the Year 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014
- 4 - Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema (The Sunday Leader) - B. A. Siriwardene Award for the Columnist of the Year 2012, Investigative Journalist of the Year 2009, Business Journalist of the Year (English) 2005, 2006
Main awards[edit]
The winners of all award ceremonies held in 1999,[9] 2000,[10] 2001,[11] 2002,[12] 2003,[13] 2004,[14] 2005, 2006,[15] 2007,[16] 2008,[17] 2009,[18] 2010,[19] 2011,[20] 2012,[21] 2013,[22] 2014,[23] 2015,[24] 2016,[25] 2017,[26] 2018[27] and 2019[28] have been listed below.
Long Service to journalism[edit]
| Year | Winners |
|---|---|
| 1998 | M.A. Wimal |
| 1999 | (Sinhala) Siriwardene Subasinghe
(Tamil) Sinniah Gurunathan (English) Clarence Fernando |
| 2000 | (Sinhala) M. A. de Silva
(Tamil) P. A. Sivam (English) D. B. Udalagama |
| 2001 | Benedict Dodampegama
David Rajhu Roshan Peiris |
| 2002 | Dalton de Silva
D.F. Kariyakarawana Jiffry Yoonus Annaluxmy Rajadurai |
| 2003 | W. R. Wijesoma
L. E. Samararatne Elmo Gooneratne T. M. Murugiah S. Pathiravithana |
| 2005 | W V Abeygunawardhana
Motagedara Wanigaratna Hema Gunawardhana Lesley Dahanayake A Sivanesaselvan |
| 2007 | M.J.M. Zarook
D.C. Ranatunga Sriya Ratnakara, N.R.J. Aaron K.T. Sivagurunathan |
| 2008 | Anula de Silva
P. Balasingham Louis Benedict Thalangama Jayasinha S. Shanmugarajah |
| 2009 | Anandi Balasingham
Srilal Kodikara Arthur U. Amarasena M. V. Kaanamylnathan M. S. M. Mansoor |
| 2010 | Lloyd Rajaratnam Devaraj
S. M. Gopalaratnam Bandula Harischandra Sarath Cooray |
| 2011 | D. C. A. (Bernie) Wijesekera
Kandiah Nithyananda S. Hewage Chithrananda Sunil Madawa Premathilaka |
| 2012 | Edmund Ranasinghe
Dunstan Wickramaratne S. Piyasena N. Padmaseelan Carol Aloysius |
| 2013 | Ajantha Ranasinghe
Soloman Ranasinghe Anne Abeysekera Bandu S Kodikara Rasiah Selvarajah |
| 2014 | Binoy Kumar
Wickrama Surendra Latheef Farook Nihal Ratnaike Saranapala Pamunuwa S.Thillainathan |
| 2015 | Piyasena Ihalavithana
Veeragathy Thanabalasingham Sarath Malalasekera Premasiri Abeysinghe Neville de Silva |
| 2016 | Widana Gamage Gunerathne
Lakshman Jayawardena S. A. C. M. Kuwaldeen Palavasam Panneer Selvam Gaston de Rosayro |
| 2017 | A.S. Fernando
Cyril Wimalasurendre Merrill Perera Sinniah Kanesan A.L.M. Saleem |
| 2018 | Dudley Jansz
L.B. Senaratne Tillakaratne Kuruvita Bandara A.L.K. Perera Kopalapillai Thiruketharanathan |
Mervyn de Silva Award for Journalist of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Iqbal Athas | The Sunday Times |
| 1999 | Sonali Samarasinghe | The Sunday Leader |
| 2000 | Sonali Samarasinghe | The Sunday Leader |
| 2001 | Ranjith Ananda Jayasinghe | Lankadeepa |
| 2002 | Amantha Perera | The Sunday Leader |
| 2003 | Kumudini Hettiarchchi | The Sunday Times |
| 2004 | Frederica Jansz | The Sunday Leader |
| 2005 | Sonali Samarasinghe | The Sunday Leader |
| 2006 | Sonali Samarasinghe | The Sunday Leader |
| 2007 | Dharisha Bastians | The Nation |
| 2008 | Not Awarded | |
| 2009 | Namini Wijedasa | Lakbimanews |
| 2010 | Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe | Lakbima/ Lakbimanews |
| 2011 | Lasantha Weerakulasuriya | Lakbima |
| 2012 | Dilrukshi Handunnetti | Ceylon Today |
| 2013 | Dharisha Bastians | Daily FT |
| 2014 | K. Sanjeewa | Ravaya |
| 2015 | K. Sanjeewa | Ravaya |
| 2016 | K. Sanjeewa | Ravaya |
| 2017 | K. Sanjeewa | Ravaya |
| 2018 | R. Ramkumar | Virakesari |
D. B. Dhanapala Award for Journalist of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | (Sinhala) Ranjith Ananda Jayasinghe
(English) Sonali Samarasinghe (Tamil) Not Awarded |
Lankadeepa
- |
| 2001 | (Sinhala) Ranjith Ananda Jayasinghe
(English) Amantha Perera (Tamil) Not Awarded |
Lankadeepa
- |
| 2002 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(English) Not Awarded (Tamil) Not Awarded |
|
| 2003 | (Sinhala) Asuntha Siwemini Edirisuriya
(English) Chris Kamalendran (Tamil) Krishni Ifham Kanthasamy |
Lakbima |
| 2004 | (Sinhala)Lasantha Ruhunage
(English) Frederica Jansz (Tamil) Visu Karnanithi |
Ravaya |
| 2005 | (Sinhala) Not awarded
(English) Dilrukshi Handunnetti (Tamil) Krishni Ifham Kanthasamy |
- |
| 2006 | (Sinhala) Janiytha Seneviratne
(English) Ranee Mohamed (Tamil) Somasekaran Jeyamurale |
Divaina |
D.R. Wijewardene Award for Earning the Appreciation of Peers and the General Public[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Pradeep Kumar | Dinamina |
| 1999 | The Photo Journalists' Association of Sri Lanka | |
| 2000 | Ranee Mohamed | The Sunday Leader |
| 2001 | Neville de Silva | The Sunday Times |
| 2002 | Ranee Mohamed | The Sunday Leader |
| 2003 | Poddala Jayantha | Silumina |
| 2005 | Namini Wijedasa | The Island |
| 2006 | Dharmeratnam Sivaram (Posthumous) | |
| 2007 |
Chandrabose Suthagar (Posthumous) Selvarajah Rajivarman (Posthumous) Nilakshan Sahadevan (Posthumous) W. Gunasinghe |
|
| 2008 | Rashmi Mohammed (Posthumous) | Sirasa |
| 2009 | Iqbal Athas | The Sunday Times |
| 2010 | Not Awarded | |
| 2011 | Nuwan Gankanda | Irida Lakbima |
| 2012 | ‘Punchi Putha’ - Ryp Van Winkle | The Sunday Times |
| 2013 | Kishali Pinto Jayawardene | |
| 2014 | Victor Ivan | |
| 2015 | All those who campaigned for the RTI (Right To Information) Law |
|
| 2016 | Namini Wijedasa | The Sunday Times |
| 2017 | K.W. Janaranjana | |
| 2018 | Manik de Silva |
Upali Wijewardene Award for Human Interest Reporting[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Ranee Mohamed | The Sunday Leader |
| 1999 | Ranee Mohamed | The Sunday Leader |
Upali Wijewardene Award for Feature Writer of The Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Daminda Jeevan Ranasinghe | Lakbima |
| 2001 | Ranee Mohamed | The Sunday Leader |
| 2002 | (English) Kumudini Hettiarachchi
(Sinhala) Not Awarded (Tamil) Not Awarded |
The Sunday Times
- - |
| 2003 | (Sinhala) Tissa Ravindra Perera
(Sinhala) D. Nihal P. Abeysinghe (English) Not Awarded (Tamil) Not Awarded |
Lakbima
- - |
| 2004 | (Sinhala) W. A. Inoka Perera Bandara
(Sinhala) Prasanna Sanjeewa Tennakoon (English) Priyanwada Ranawaka (English) Renu Warnasuriya (Tamil) Kanaganayagam Valethanchan |
Silumina
Free Lance Journalist |
| 2005 | (Sinhala) Lasantha Ruhunage
(English) Jamila Najmuddin (Tamil) Arasaratnam Rajeevan |
Ravaya |
| 2006 | (Sinhala) P. M. Senaratne
(English) Dharisha Bastians (Tamil) Not Awarded |
Mawbima
- |
| 2007 | (Sinhala) Sanjeewika Samarathunga
(English) Rathindra Kuruwita (Tamil) Niranjalee Roland |
Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2008 | (Sinhala) Sanda Laalith Ranasinghe
(Tamil) Niranjani Roland (English) Randima Atygalle |
Silumina
Metro News |
| 2009 | (Sinhala) Udani Wijesundara
(Tamil) Balasubramaniam Kirubharan (English) Ranee Mohamed |
Irida Lakbima |
| 2010 | (Sinhala) Prasad Bandara Wijekoon
(Tamil) Balasubramaniam Kirubaharan (English) Chandani Kirinde |
Ravaya |
| 2011 | (Sinhala) Mihiri Fonseka
(Tamil) Mohamed Hussain Fathima Husna (English) Nadia Fazlulhaq |
Lakbima |
| 2012 | (Sinhala) Kasun Amila Pussawela
(English) Smriti Daniel (Tamil) Logeswaran Thushikaran |
Ravaya |
| 2013 | (Sinhala) Daya Neththasinghe
(English) Randima Attygalle (Tamil) A Jayasooriyan |
Lanka |
| 2014 | (Sinhala) Ruwan Jayawardane
(English) Randima Attygalle (Tamil) Alagan Kanagaraj |
Irida Divaina |
| 2015 | (Sinhala) Tharanga Rathnaweera
(Tamil) I. Robert Antony (English) Chandani Kirinde |
Irida Divaina |
| 2016 | (Sinhala) S. G. Punchihewa
(Tamil) R. Ramkumar (English) Don Manu |
Ravaya |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Tharanga Rathnaweera
(Tamil) I. Robert Antony (English) Sanju Sirimal Hathurusinghe |
Irida Divaina |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Tharanga Rathnaweera
(Tamil) I. Robert Antony (English) Sanju Sirimal Hathurusinghe |
Irida Divaina |
B. A. Siriwardene Award for Columnist of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Harith Gunawardena (King Barnett) | Irida Divaina |
| 2001 | Iqbal Athas (Situation Report) | The Sunday Times |
| 2002 | Harith Gunawardena (King Barnett) | Irida Divaina |
| 2003 | Rajpal Abeynayake | The Sunday Times |
| 2004 | (Sinhala)Rajapaksa
(English) Keith Noyahr (English) Namini Wijedasa (Tamil) P. Shanmuganathan |
Irudina
Freelance Journalist |
| 2005 | (English) D B S Jeyaraj (Minor Matters)
(Tamil) P Mahendraraja (Sinhala) Not Awarded |
The Morning Leader
- |
| 2006 | (Sinhala) Editor
(Sinhala) Thimbiriyagama Bandara (Tamil) Mohamed Nawas M. Anas (English) Sonali Samarasinghe |
Rivira Irida Sangrahaya |
| 2007 | (Sinhala) Thimbiriyagama Bandara
(English) K.S. Sivakumaran (Tamil) Balasubramaniyam Kirubaharan |
Ravaya |
| 2008 | (Sinhala) Not awarded
(Tamil) B. Kirubaharan (English) Nanda Wanasundere |
- |
| 2009 | (Sinhala) Amarasiri Wickramaratne
(Tamil) Ayakkannu Titokugan (English) Chandani Kirinde |
Lanka |
| 2010 | (Sinhala) Wimalanath Weerarathna
(Tamil) S. Jithendra Prasath (English) D. B. S. Jeyaraj |
Ravaya |
| 2011 | (Sinhala) Wimalanath Weerarathne
(Tamil) P A Aswin Sutharson (English) Chandani Kirinde |
Ravaya
Yarlosai Weekly |
| 2012 | (Sinhala) Wimalanath Weerarathna
(Sinhala) C. J. Amarathunga (English) Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema (Tamil) Abdul Raheem Abdul Fareel |
Ravaya
Vidiwelli |
| 2013 | (Sinhala) Wimalanath Weerarathne
(English) Dharisha Bastians (Tamil) Muttiah Masilamany |
Ravaya |
| 2014 | (Sinhala) Wimalanath Weerathne
(Tamil) Sinthuja Prasath (English) Not Awarded |
Ravaya
- |
| 2015 | (Sinhala) Narada Karunatilaka
(Tamil) Kanagalingam Gopikrishna (English) Padma Edirisinghe |
Sunday Rivira |
| 2016 | (Sinhala) S. G. Punchihewa
(Tamil) R. Ramkumar (English) Don Manu |
Ravaya |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(Tamil) Jeeva Sathasivam (English) Not Awarded |
- - |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Shirley Anil de Silva
(Tamil) Sivalingam Sivakumaran (English) Dilshani Palugaswewa |
Mawbima |
Sepala Gunasena Award for Courageous Journalism in the Defence of Press Freedom in Sri Lanka[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Uthayan, Jaffna | |
| 1999 | Victor Ivan | Ravaya |
| 2001 | The Sunday Leader | |
| 2002 | Not Awarded | |
| 2003 | Not Awarded | |
| 2004 | Not Awarded | |
| 2005 | Not Awarded | |
| 2006 | Sunanda Deshapriya | |
| 2007 | Poddala Jayantha and Sanath Balasooriya | |
| 2008 | The Chief Editor and staff | Uthayan |
| 2009 | Lasantha Wickrematunge (Posthumous) | |
| 2010 | Chandana Sirimalwatta | Lanka |
| 2011 | Citizens Movement for Good Governance | |
| 2012 | Seetha Ranjanee | |
| 2013 | Sam Wijesinha | |
| 2014 | Free Media Movement | |
| 2015 | Not Awarded | |
| 2016 | Prabath Sahabandu | The Island |
| 2017 | Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association | |
| 2018 | M.S.M. Ayub |
Prof. K. Kailasapathy Award for Reporting Under Special Circumstances[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Ajith Seneviratne | Ravaya |
| 2000 | Mylvaganam Nimalarajan | Ravaya, Virakesari, BBC |
| 2001 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2002 | Ratnayam Thayaparan | Thinakkural |
| 2003 | Daya Neththasinghe | Lanka |
| 2004 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2005 | Vincent Jeyam | Thinakaran |
| 2006 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2007 | Wilson Gnanadass | The Nation |
| 2008 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2009 | The Sunday Leader | - |
| 2010 | Balentheram Pratheepan | Thinakkural |
| 2011 | Tissa Ravindra Perera | Sunday Rivira |
| 2012 | Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk | Lankadeepa |
| 2013 | Not Awarded | |
| 2014 | Balenthiran Piratheepan | Sunday Thinakkural |
| 2015 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2016 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2017 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2018 | Chamara Amarasooriya | Mawbima |
Sports Journalist of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Asoka Goonetilleke | Divaina |
| 2001 | T.M.K. Samat | The Sunday Leader |
| 2002 | C. Vijitha Fernando | Daily Mirror |
| 2003 | C. Vijitha Fernando | Daily Mirror |
| 2004 | Marlon Fernandopulle | The Sunday Times |
| 2005 | T. M. K. Samat | The Sunday Leader |
| 2006 | Sa’adi Thawfeeq | The Nation |
| 2007 | Sa'adi Thawfeeq | The Nation |
| 2008 | Channaka de Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2009 | Channaka de Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2010 | Channaka de Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2011 | Channaka de Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2012 | Channaka de Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2013 | Channaka de Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2014 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(English) Not Awarded (Tamil) Not Awarded |
|
| 2015 | (Sinhala) Asela Withana
(English) Not Awarded (Tamil) Not Awarded |
Divaina
- - |
| 2016 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(Tamil) Selvathurai Jithendra Presath (English) Not Awarded |
- - |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Roshan Pathum Sri Wijeratne
(English) Champika Fernando (Tamil) Selvathurai Jithendra Presath |
Ada |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Roshan Pathum Sri Wijeratne
(English) - (Tamil) Selvathurai Jithendra Presath |
Ada
- |
Scoop of The Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Sonali Samarasinghe | The Sunday Leader |
| 1999 | Yukthiya | - |
| 2000 | Sonali Samarasinghe | The Sunday Leader |
| 2003 | Ranjith Ananda Jayasinghe
Vinitha M. Gamage |
Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2004 | Manjula Sanjeevani Fernando | Daily News |
| 2005 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2006 | Sonali Samarasinghe | The Sunday Leader |
| 2007 | Jayantha Sri Nissanka | Lakbimanews |
| 2008 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2009 | News Desk | The Sunday Times |
| 2010 | The Sunday Times | - |
| 2011 | Anthony David | The Sunday Times |
| 2012 | Channaka de Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2013 | Kasun Pussewela | Ravaya |
| 2014 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2015 | News Desk | The Sunday Times |
| 2016 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2017 | The Sunday Times | - |
| 2018 | Tharindu Jayawardhana | Lankadeepa |
Denzil Peiris Award for Young Reporter of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Shan Wijetunge | Divaina |
| 1999 | Amantha Perera | The Sunday Leader |
| 2000 | Dilrukshi Handunnetti | The Sunday Times |
| 2001 | Shelani de Silva | The Sunday Times |
| 2002 | Sri Gajan | Virakesari |
| 2003 | Warnajith Sumanasekera | Dinamina |
| 2004 | Apeksha Dilmini Vidanagamage | Lakbima |
| 2005 | Dharisha Bastian | Daily Mirror |
| 2006 | A. H. Dileesha Prabhani | Irudina |
| 2007 | Rasika Lakmal Jayakodi | Rivira |
| 2008 | Isuri Kaviratne | The Sunday Times |
| 2009 | Surekha Sanjeevani Samarasena | Ravaya |
| 2010 | Lakna Tharindu Paranamanna | Daily Mirror |
| 2011 | B Dianne Geraldine Silva | Daily Mirror |
| 2012 | Lakna Tharindu Paranamanna | Daily Mirror |
| 2013 | Aanya Wipulasena | The Sunday Times |
| 2014 | Kamanthi Wickremesinghe | Daily Mirror |
| 2015 | Piyumi Fonseka | Daily Mirror |
| 2016 | Tharindu Amila Uduwaragedera | Ravaya |
| 2017 | Thevarajah Virooshan | Sunday Virakesari |
| 2018 | Mandira Pabasarani Wijerathna | Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka) |
Best Photograph of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Dilshika Jayamaha | The Sunday Times |
Photographer of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Buddhika Weerasinghe
Saranapala Pamunuwa |
Lakbima |
| 1999 | Gemunu Wellage | The Sunday Times |
| 2000 | Sajeewa Chinthaka | Lakbima |
| 2001 | Asoka Peiris | Lankadeepa |
| 2002 | Daminda Harsha Perera | Daily Mirror |
| 2003 | K. Ganeshraj | Thinakkural |
| 2004 | Pradeep K. Pathirana | Daily Mirror |
| 2005 | Lakruwan Wanniarachchi | Lakbima |
| 2006 | Ishara Anuruddha Kodikara | The Nation |
| 2007 | Dinuka Liyanawatta | Daily Mirror |
| 2008 | Dinuka Liyanawatte | Daily Mirror |
| 2009 | Samantha Perera | Daily Mirror |
| 2010 | Chathura Kodikara | Rivira |
| 2011 | Sanka Vidanagama | Ceylon Today |
| 2012 | Gemunu Wellage | Ceylon Today |
| 2013 | Rukshan Abeywansha | The Nation |
| 2014 | Lalith Perera | The Sunday Leader |
| 2015 | Eshan Shammi Fernando | Ada |
| 2016 | Saman Abesiriwardana | Divaina/ The Island |
| 2017 | Jeyakumar Sujeewakumar | Weekend Express |
| 2018 | Tharaka Basnayaka | Ceylon Today |
Cartoonist of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | W. Wijesoma | The Island |
| 1999 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2000 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2001 | Not Awarded | - |
| 2002 | Ramachandran | Thinakkural |
| 2003 | Dasa Hapuwalanage | Lankadeepa |
| 2004 | (Sinhala) Dasa Hapuwalanage
(English) Wasantha Kanthilal Siriwardena (Tamil) Suppiah Jeyapalan |
Lankadeepa |
| 2005 | Jeffrey Ansley Michael Kelaart de Silva | The Island |
| 2006 | Suppiah Jeyapalan | Virakesari |
| 2007 | R.C. Pradeep Kumara | Thinakkural |
| 2008 | Wasantha Siriwardena | The Nation |
| 2009 | Suppiah Jeyapalan | Virakesari |
| 2010 | Awantha Artigala | Daily Mirror |
| 2011 | Gihan de Chickera | Daily Mirror |
| 2012 | Awantha Artigala | Daily Mirror |
| 2013 | Awantha Artigala | Daily Mirror |
| 2014 | Awantha Artigala | Daily Mirror |
| 2015 | Namal Amarasinghe | Tamil Mirror |
| 2016 | Namal Amarasinghe | Tamil Mirror |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) M.D. Weeraratne
(Tamil) Sauntis Tarmathus (English) Jeffrey Ansley Michael Kelaart de Silva |
Mawbima |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Anjana Indrajith Jayaweera
(Tamil) Namal Madushanka Amarasinghe (English) M.D. Weeraratne |
Irida Lakbima |
Best Designed Newspaper of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | (Colour) The Sunday Leader
(Black and White) Ravaya |
|
| 2000 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2001 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2002 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2003 | Irida Lankadeepa | |
| 2004 | M. L Ajith Ravindra | Irudina |
| 2005 | Daily Virakesari | |
| 2006 | Thilina Alahakoon | Mawbima |
| 2007 | Rivira Media Corporation | The Nation |
| 2008 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2009 | Irida Lakbima | |
| 2010 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2011 | Aruna Wickramarachchi | The Sunday Times |
| 2012 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2013 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2014 | Ravaya | |
| 2015 | The Sunday Times | |
| 2016 | (Sinhala) Ravaya
(Tamil) Thinakkural (English) The Sunday Times |
|
| 2017 | The Design Team | The Sunday Times |
| 2018 | The Design Team | Deshaya |
Best Environmental Report of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Dilrukshi Handunnetti | The Sunday Times |
| 2002 | Not Awarded | |
| 2003 | Florence Wickramage | Daily News |
| 2004 | Nihal .P. Abeysinghe | Silumina |
| 2005 | Ifham Nizam | The Island |
| 2006 | Hema Sri Amarasinghe | Sathdina |
| 2007 | Saliya Kumara Gunasekera | Lakbima |
| 2008 | Nimashi Amaleeta | The Nation |
| 2009 | Karunaratne Gamage | Irida Divaina |
| 2010 | Malaka Rodrigo | The Sunday Times |
| 2011 | Rathindra Kuruwita | Lakbimanews |
| 2012 | P. M. M. Abdul Cader | Metro News |
| 2013 | Nirmala Kannangara | The Sunday Leader |
| 2014 | (English) Nadia Fazlulhaq
(Tamil) M.H. Fathima Husna (Sinhala) Not Awarded |
The Sunday Times
- |
| 2015 | Jagath Kumara Kanahara Arachchi | Divaina |
| 2016 | Aruna Lakshan Fernando | Irida Lakbima |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Dhammika Sapumal Jayasena
(Tamil) Mohamed Ali Sabry Ahmed (English) Prasanna Cooray |
Mawbima
Nawamini |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Prageeth Sampath Karunathilaka
(Tamil) Murukaiah Thamilselvan (English) Ranmini Gunasekara |
Mawbima |
Subramaniam Chettiar Social Development Reporter of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sita Ranjani | Free Lance Journalist |
| 2005 | D Charles Peters | Virakesari |
| 2006 | Niranjani Roland | Metro News |
| 2007 | R.A. Chandrasiri Ranasinghe | Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2008 | K. Ponmalar | Metro News |
| 2009 | Mohamed Hussain Fathima Husna | Thinakkural |
| 2010 | Susitha R. Fernando | Daily Mirror |
| 2011 | Dayaseeli Liyanage
Balakrishnan Thirugnanam |
Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2012 | S. Thushyanthan | Thinakkural |
| 2013 | Lakna Tharindu Paranamanna | Daily Mirror |
| 2014 | K. Sanjeewa | Ravaya |
| 2015 | Sudharma Ruwan Kumari Herath | Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2016 | Dharma Mohottal | Irida Lakbima |
| 2017 | K.V. Samantha Jayalal
Sulochana Ramiah Mohan |
Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2018 | Indunil Shiromi Usgoda Arachchi | Ravaya |
Business Journalist of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | (Sinhala) Asuntha S Edirisuriya
(English) Nisthar Cassim (Tamil) Not Awarded |
Lakbima
Daily Mirror (Financial Times) - |
| 2005 | (Sinhala) Ruwan Thilina Samarasingha
(English) Mandana Ismail Abeywickrama (Tamil) G L Ahamed Nifras |
Ravaya |
| 2006 | (Sinhala) Ruwan Thilina Samarasinghe
(Tamil) A. L. Ahamed Nifras (English) Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema |
Ravaya |
| 2007 | (English) Indika Sakalasooriya
(Sinhala) Not Awarded (Tamil) Ahamed Nifras |
The Nation
- |
| 2008 | (Sinhala) Shyam Nuwan Ganewatte
(Tamil) Niranjani Roland (English) Bandula Sirimanna |
Sunday Divaina
Metro News |
| 2009 | (Sinhala) Shyam Nuwan Ganewatta
(Tamil) Yogarajah Nimalraj (English) Cheranka Mendis |
Divaina/Irida Divaina |
| 2010 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(Tamil) Rajan Sujitha (English) Uditha Jayasinghe |
- |
| 2011 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(Tamil) Not Awarded (English) Not Awarded |
- - - |
| 2012 | (Sinhala) Ruwan Thilina Samarasinghe
(Tamil) Robert Antony (English) Abdul Razak Mohamed Azhar |
Ravaya |
| 2013 | (Sinhala) D D Chaminda Wickramaratne
(English) Not Awarded (Tamil) Sangapillai Vinoth |
Lakbima
- |
| 2014 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(English) Shabiya Ali Ahlam (Tamil) Robert Antony |
- |
| 2015 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(Tamil) S.S.Chandrasekar (English) Chandeepa Wettasinghe |
- |
| 2016 | (Sinhala) Not Awarded
(Tamil) Robert Antony (English) Not Awarded |
- - |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Dulika Samanmali
(Tamil) Suthanthiranathan Anuthinan (English) Not Awarded |
- |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Dulika Samanmali
(Tamil) Suthanthiranathan Anuthinan (English) Charindra Chandrasena |
The Sunday Morning |
Investigative Journalist of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Dr. Prasanna Cooray | The Island |
| 2009 | Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema | The Sunday Leader |
| 2010 | Lakbimanews | |
| 2011 | Sugath Priyantha Kulatungaarachchi | Irida Lakbima |
| 2012 | Harsha Mangala Sugathadasa | Irida Lakbima |
| 2013 | The Sunday Times News Desk | |
| 2014 | Not Awarded | |
| 2015 | Namini Wijedasa | The Sunday Times |
| 2016 | Mahendra Tharaaka Wickramasekera | Silumina |
| 2017 | Barana Mihiran Karunarathne | Irida Lakbima |
| 2018 | Prageeth Sampath Karunathilaka | Mawbima |
Best Designed News Website[edit]
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2016 | (English) www.dailynews.lk
(Sinhala) www.dinamina.lk (Tamil) www.virakesari.lk |
| 2017 | (English) www.dailymirror.lk
(Sinhala) www.deshaya.lk (Tamil) www.thinakaran.lk |
| 2018 | (English) www.dailynews.lk
(Sinhala) www.dinamina.lk (Tamil) www.metronews.lk |
Health Care and Medical Reporter of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Palitha Jayakody
(Tamil) Dr. Sivapalan Sivansuthan (English) Udara Punnami Amarasinghe |
Rivira
Valamburi |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Sugath Priyantha Kulathunga Arachchi
(Tamil) Fatima Husna (English) Udara Punnami Amarasinghe |
Deshaya |
Best News/Feature Using RTI[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Tharindu Jayawardhana and Bingun Menaka Gamage
(Tamil) Karuppaiah Prasanna Kumar (English) The Sunday Times Team |
Lankadeepa |
TV News Story of the Year[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Rasika Lakmal Alwis | Swarnavahini |
Other awards[edit]
Special awards made by the panel of judges[edit]
Special Award of Excellence recommended by the panel[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Free Media Movement |
- |
| 2000 | W. Wijesoma
Karunadasa Sooriarachchi |
Sunday Island |
| 2002 | K.A. Jagath Kanaheraarchchi
Tilak Navaratne Paathukavalan Magazine, Jaffna |
Sunday Divaina
Subasetha - |
| 2003 | Nihal Abeysinghe
S. Thillainathan |
Silumina |
| 2004 | K. W. Janaranjana
Sena Vidanagama Ranee Mohamed |
Ravaya
Photo Journalist |
Special Awards for the best students of the Sri Lanka College of Journalism[edit]
| Year | Award | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Best Sinhala Language student
Best Tamil Language student Best English Language student |
Aruni Muthumali
Charles Peter Sanjeewa Chandrasekara |
Merit awards and honourable mention[edit]
Merit Awards for Reporting under special circumstances[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Buddhika Weerasinghe
Lakruwan Wanniarachchi M.A. Pushpakumara Sajeewa Chinthaka Janapriya Samaradiwakara Asoka Fernando Lakmal Spencer Saman Mendis H.A.N. Fernando Thinakkural Newspaper Uthayan Newspaper |
Lakbima
Yukthiya Sithijaya - - |
| 2000 | Buddhika Weerasinghe | Lakbima |
Merit Awards in D.B. Dhanapala Award for Journalist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Award | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | (English) Dilrukshi Handunneti | The Sunday Leader |
| 2000 | (Tamil) Aathavan
(Tamil) Sarinihar |
|
| 2004 | (Tamil) (Runner Up) Krishni Kandasamy | Virakesari |
Merit Awards in Mervyn de Silva Award for Journalist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Award | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Puvirajasingham Christopher Kamalendran
Sajeewa Wijeweera |
The Sunday Times |
| 2007 | Sunethra Athugalpura | Lakbima |
| 2008 | D. Charles Peter
Christopher Kamalendran Janyitha Seneviratne |
Metro News |
| 2010 | Gagani Weerakoon | The Nation |
| 2018 | Chandani Kirinde
Wisu Karunanidhi |
The Sunday Times |
| 2019 | Easwarana Ratnam | The Sunday Morning Leader |
Merit Awards in Denzil Peiris Young Journalist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Award | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Vasana Wickramasena | Daily Mirror |
| 2000 | Nilika de Silva | The Sunday Times |
| 2001 | Sri Gajan | Virakesari |
| 2002 | Tissa Ravindra Perera
Gaya Kumara Weerasinghe |
Lakbima |
| 2003 | Vasana Wickremasena
Chandra Prakash |
Daily Mirror |
| 2004 | 1st Runner up: Pradeepa Vijayaratnamm
Highly recommended : Dharisha Bastians D. Charles Peters Tissa Ravindra Perera |
Thinakkural |
| 2009 | Nadia Fazlulhaq
B. Dianne Geraldine Silva |
The Sunday Times |
| 2010 | Ramesh Warallegama
S. N. Mohamed Suhail |
Irida Lakbima |
| 2011 | S N Mohamed Suhail
Sanjaya Nallaperuma |
Vidivelli |
| 2012 | Krishna Moorthy Krishna Prasath
Kasun Pussawela |
Sooriyakanthi |
| 2013 | M F M Fazeer
Gayan Gallage Shailendree Wickrama Adittiya |
Daily Virakesari |
| 2016 | Sinduri Sappanipillai
Thevarajah Virooshan |
Daily/Weekend Express |
| 2017 | Tharindu Amila Uduwaragedara
Fatima Amara Ismail |
Ravaya |
| 2018 | Yogaraj Dharmaraj
Nirmani Bandaranayake |
Thinakkural |
Merit Awards in Photographer of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Janapriya Samaradiwakara
Daminda Harsha Perera |
|
| 2000 | Ajith Seneviratne
Saranapala Pamunuwa J. Weerasekera Chathura S. Kodikara Daminda Harsha Perera |
Ravaya |
| 2001 | Rukmal Gamage
Sajeeva Chintaka Nihal Chandrakumara |
Lakbima |
| 2002 | Eranga Jayawardena
Lakmal Wasantha |
The Island/Divaina/ |
| 2003 | Ashoka Peris | The Sunday Leader |
| 2008 | Nishan S. Priyantha | Divaina |
| 2009 | Sanka Gayashan Vidanagama | The Sunday Times |
| 2010 | Balentheram Pratheepan
Gemunu H. Wellage Kushan Pathiraja |
Thinakkural |
| 2011 | Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa
M S Saleem |
Lankadeepa
Metro News |
| 2013 | Ajith Madurapperuma
Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai |
Lankadeepa |
| 2014 | Kushan Sangeeth Pathiraja | Daily Mirror |
| 2015 | Amila Gamage | The Sunday Times |
| 2017 | D.G. Sampath Priyantha
Mohamed Saley Saleem |
Lakbima |
Merit Awards in Best Cartoon of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Daya Rajapakse
Viroshan Wickremeratne |
Lankadeepa
Gnanartha Pradeepaya |
Merit awards in Scoop of The Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Ranjith Ananda Jayasinghe | Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2000 | Lasantha Ruhunage | Ravaya |
| 1999 | Suranimala | The Sunday Leader |
| 2014 | Kasun Pussewela | Ravaya |
Merit Awards in Upali Wijewardene Award for Human Interest Reporting Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Namini Wijedasa
Kumudini Hettiarachchi |
Daily Mirror |
Merit Awards in Upali Wijewardene Award for Feature Writer of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Daminda Jeevan Ranasinghe | Irida Lakbima |
| 2002 | Neil Siriweera | Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2003 | Kumudini Hettiarchchi | The Sunday Times |
| 2004 | (English) (Runner Up) Malinda Seneviratne
(Tamil) (Runner Up) R. Raviavrma |
The Sunday Island |
| 2007 | (English) Poornima Weerasekara | Daily Mirror |
| 2008 | (English) Chamitha Kuruppu | LakbimaNews |
| 2009 | (Sinhala) Sanjeewika Samaratunga
(Tamil) Hassthani Radhakrishnan (English) Randima Attygalle |
Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2010 | (Sinhala) Sanda Laalith Ranasinghe
(Sinhala) Gayan Kumara Weerasinghe Karunarathne (Tamil) Arun Arokianathan (English) Gagani Weerakoon (English) Randima Attygalle |
Dinamina |
| 2011 | (Sinhala) Biyanka Nanayakkara
(Tamil) K Ponmalar (Tamil) S. L. Nirosha Darshan (English) Ranee Mohamed (English) Juliet Coombe |
Irida Rivira
Metro News |
| 2013 | (Sinhala) Priyantha Hettige
(Tamil) M Hussain Fathima Husna |
Irudina |
| 2014 | (Sinhala) Sugath Priyantha Kulathunga Arachchi
(Sinhala) Inoka Samarawickrama (English) Sarini Shihara Maduwage (Tamil) Poraniyapillai Pushparaju |
Deshaya
Metro News |
| 2015 | (Sinhala) Nimal Abesinghe
(Tamil) Rajagopal Yasiharan (English) Adilah Ismail |
Ravaya |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Sugath Priyantha Kulatunga Arachchi
(Tamil) Shanmuganathan Prathiban |
Deshaya |
Merit Awards in Prof. K. Kailasapathy Award for Reporting Under Special Circumstances[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Thinakathir newspaper, Batticaloa | |
| 2004 | Highly recommended: Paalippode Venugopal | Eelanatham |
| 2009 | M. Mihiri Mangala Fonseka
Arun Arokianathan |
Irida Lakbima |
| 2010 | Rivira Team | |
| 2011 | Balenthiram Piratheepan | Thinakkural |
| 2012 | Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai Nirmala Kannangara Jeyam Christirasa |
Ceylon Today |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) A.A. Chamara Madushanka
(Tamil) N.C. Najimudeen |
Mawbima |
| 2017 | (Sinhala) Kasun Pussewela
(English) Daily FT Team |
Resa |
Merit Awards in Best Foreign Report of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Thalif Deen | The Sunday Times |
Merit Awards in Sports Journalist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Namal Pathirage | Daily Mirror |
| 2001 | C. Vijitha Fernando | Daily Mirror |
| 2003 | Marlon Fernandopulle
Shamseer Jaleel |
The Sunday Times |
| 2004 | (1st Runner up) T. M. K Samat
(2nd Runner up) Sivalingam Sivakumaran |
The Sunday Leader |
| 2006 | Namal Pathirage | Lankadeepa |
| 2009 | Mohamed Naushad Amit
Ehamparan Ravivarmah |
The Nation
Metro News |
| 2010 | Neville Victor Anthony | Virakesari |
| 2011 | Mariadhasan Michael Silvester
Chamila Karawita |
Virakesari |
| 2012 | Ravichchandren Ramkumar
Roshan Ahangama |
Thinakkural |
| 2013 | P A Sukeethan | Daily Virakesari |
| 2014 | (English) Channaka de Silva
(Sinhala) Chamila Karawita |
Daily Mirror |
| 2015 | (Tamil) Mariadhasan Michael Silvester
(English) Tuan Mohammed Kamoordeen Samat |
Virakesari Weekly |
| 2016 | (Sinhala) Roshan Pethum Sri Wijeratne | Ada |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Prince Gunasekara
(English) Harsha Amarasinghe |
Dinamina |
Merit Awards in Cartoonist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Dasa Hapuwalanage | Lakbima |
| 2001 | Wasantha Siriwardene | Daily Mirror |
| 2003 | Wasantha Siriwardena | Daily Mirror |
| 2004 | Runner-up (Sinhala) J. Viroshan Wickramarathne
Runner-up (English) Lalith Chandana Senanayake Runner-up (Tamil) S Yogamoorthy |
Gnanartha Pradeepaya |
| 2006 | Jiffrey Kelaart de Silva
Dasa Hapuwalanage |
Upali Newspapers |
| 2007 | Asanga Indunil Weerasekara | Rivira |
| 2009 | Wasantha Kanthilal Siriwardena | The Nation |
| Jeffry Michael Kelaart de Silva | The Island | |
| 2010 | Anjana Indrajith Jayaweera
Ratnaraja C. Pradeepkumar |
Lakbima |
| 2011 | S Jeyapalan
Anjana Indrajith |
Virakesari |
| 2014 | Gihan de Chickera
Namal Amarasinghe |
Daily Mirror |
| 2015 | Jeffrey Ainsley Michael Kelaart
P. Shandrasegaram |
The Island |
| 2018 | Dhammika Sajith Bandara Ekanayaka | Daily Mirror |
Merit Awards in Best Designed Newspaper of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Ravaya
Pathukavalam, Jaffna |
|
| 2004 | (Runner Up) Ajith Parakum Jayasinghe | Hiru |
| 2006 | Wasantha Siriwardane | The Nation |
| 2008 | Daily Mirror | |
| 2009 | The Nation
Metro News |
|
| 2010 | (Sinhala) Irida Lakbima
(Tamil) Virakesari Daily (English) The Nation |
|
|
2011 |
Rivira
Vivivelli |
|
| 2014 | The Nation | |
| 2015 | Deshaya | |
| 2017 | Ravaya | |
| 2017 | (Runner Up) Vidivelli |
Merit Awards in Best Environmental Report of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Nihal P. Abeysinghe | Silumina |
| 2003 | Shanika Sriyananda | Sunday Observer |
| 2004 | (Runner Up) Nadeera Tharushi Seneviratne | The Island |
| 2007 | Ifham Nizam | The Island |
| 2008 | (Tamil) Kulanthaivel Jeyandran
(English) Ifham Nizam |
Thinakkural |
| 2010 | K. Ponmalar
Rathna B. Ekanayake |
Virakesari |
| 2011 | Balasubramaniyam Kirubaharan | Thinakkural |
| 2012 | T. G. Supun Lahiru Prakash
Nirmala Kannangara |
Irida Lakbima |
| 2013 | Gunasingham Mikunthan
Achala Dharmasena T G Supun Lahiru Prakash |
Vallampuri
Janarala |
| 2015 | Nayanaka Ranwella
Shanmuganathan Jeyabalan |
Sunday Rivira
Yarl Thinakkural |
| 2018 | Aruna Lakshman Fernando
Dimuthu Attanayaka |
Irida Lakbima |
Merit Awards in B.A. Siriwardene Award for the Columnist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Karunadasa Sooriyarachchi (Kasurige Kolama) | Divaina |
| 2003 | Thimbiriyagama Bandara | Ravaya |
| 2004 | (Runner Up) Harith Gunawardena | Irida Divaina |
| 2009 | (Sinhala) Sujeewa Wimalanath Weeraratne
(Tamil) A. H. Siddeque Kariyapper (English) Emil Hals Van Der Poorten |
Ravaya |
| 2011 | (Sinhala) Sisira Paranathanthri
(Sinhala) Niroshan Handalage (Tamil) Vadivel Thevaraj (English) Emil Van Der Poorten |
Rivira |
| 2012 | (English) Dharisha Bastians
(Tamil) Ismaill B. Maarieef |
Daily FT |
| 2013 | (Sinhala) Biyanka Nanayakkara
(Tamil) A M Wais (Tamil) N. Neduncheliyan |
Rivira
Nawamani |
| 2014 | (Sinhala) Amarasiri Wickramaratne | Mawbima (Sunday) |
| 2015 | (Tamil) Alagan Kanagaraj
(English) Rasika Jayakody |
Tamil Mirror |
| 2017 | (Tamil) Kanagalingam Gopikrishna | Tamil Mirror |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Chamathka Kaveen Bandara | Resa |
Merit Award in Business Journalist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | (Sinhala)(Runner up) Janiytha Seneviratne
(English)(Runner Up) Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema |
Divaina |
| 2009 | (English) Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema | The Sunday Leader |
| 2011 | (English) Sulochana Ramiah Mohan
(Tamil) Robert Antony |
Lakbimanews |
| 2012 | (Sinhala) Yasewardana Rodrigo | Irida Lakbima |
| 2013 | (Sinhala) Gamini Sarath Godakanda
(English) Shabiya Ali Ahlam |
Lankadeepa |
| 2014 | (Sinhala) Gamini Sarath Godakanda | Rivira |
| 2015 | (Sinhala) H.A.W.M. Janiytha Seneviratne | Irida Divaina |
| 2016 | (English) Chandeepa Wettasinghe | Daily Mirror |
| 2018 | (Sinhala) Mahendra Tharaka Wickramasekara | Silumina |
Merit Awards in Subramaniam Chettiar Social Development Reporter of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Shyamalee Murugesu | The Island |
| 2007 | M.A. Fahim | Virakesari |
| 2008 | Asuntha Sivumini Edirisooriya | Irida Lankadeepa |
| 2009 | Ratna B. Ekanayake
Chathuri Prarthanie Dissanayake |
Divaina |
| 2010 | Randima Attygalle
P. M. M. A. Cader |
The Nation |
| 2011 | Ananda Kumar Kannangara
Lakna Paranamanna |
Sunday Observer |
| 2012 | S. Thushyanthan | Thinakkural |
| 2013 | Daya Neththasinghe
S. Thujiyanthan Chaturi Dissanayake Mangalanath Liyanaarachchi |
Lanka |
| 2014 | Joseph George Stephen
Chamara Amarasooriya Camelia Nilruksha Nathaniel |
Daily Virakesari |
| 2015 | Alagan Kanagaraj | Tamil Mirror |
| Camelia Nilrukshi Nathaniel | The Sunday Leader | |
| 2016 | Devika Renganathan | Virakesari |
| Kasun Warakapitiya | The Sunday Times | |
| 2017 | K. Prasanna Kumar | Thinakkural |
Merit Awards in D. R. Wijewardene Award for Earning the Appreciation of Peers and Public Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | A.K.M. Pillai
Lasantha Ruhunage |
Thinakaran |
| 2009 | Shamindra Ferdinando
Sirimevan Kasthuriarachchi Mihiri Fonseka Ramesh Warallegama Prasanna Jayasuriya Duminda Sanjeeva Balasuriya Sunil Jayasiri Ranil Wijepala Tissa Ravindra Perera Prasanna Fonseka Ranga Jayasuriya |
The Island
Siyatha |
Merit Awards for Best Radio News Story[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Fathima Nazriya | Pirai FM |
Merit Awards in Investigative Journalist of the Year Category[edit]
| Year | Winner | Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Raknish Savan Wijewardene | The Sunday Leader |
| 2011 | Indika Sri Aravinda | The Sunday Leader |
| 2013 | Prasad Abeywickrama | Rivira Irida Sangrahaya |
| 2014 | Nirmala Kannangara | The Sunday Leader |
| 2018 | Murugesupillai Selvarajah | Sooriyakanthi |
Merit Awards in Sepala Gunasena Award for Defending Press Freedom in Sri Lanka Category[edit]
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Upali Tennakoon
Poddala Jayantha |
Merit Awards in Best News/Feature Using RTI[edit]
| Year | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi | Resa |
Merit Awards in Best Designed News Website Category[edit]
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2016 | (English) www.sundaytimes.lk |
| (Sinhala) www.lankadeepa.lk | |
| (Tamil) www.vidivelli.lk | |
| 2017 | (English) www.dailynews.lk |
| (Sinhala) www.dinamina.lk | |
| (Tamil) www.thinakkural.lk | |
| 2018 | (English) - |
| (Sinhala) www.ada.lk | |
| (Tamil) www.videivelli.lk |
References[edit]
- ^ "JOURNALISM AWARDS". Sri Lanka Press Institute. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Journalism Awards". Sri Lanka Press Institute. Journalism Awards. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Journalists honoured by their peers". The night of the scribes. No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 9 May 1999. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Rules and Regulations with Application" (PDF). Sri Lanka Press Institute. SLPI.
- ^ "Rules and Regulations with Application" (PDF). Sri Lanka Press Institute. SLPI. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
- ^ De Alwis, Rupert (30 March 2008). "Media in the eye of a storm". No. The Sunday Leader. Leader Publications. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ De Alwis, Rupert (30 March 2008). "Media in the eye of a storm". No. The Sunday Leader. Leader Publications. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
- ^ "The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka: Code of Professional Practice of The Editors' Guild of Sri Lanka". Accountable Journalism. The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka: Code of Professional Practice of The Editors' Guild of Sri Lanka. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Journalists honoured by their peers". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 9 May 1999. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ "Not a silent night". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 11 June 2000. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ "They shone in 2000". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 20 May 2001. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Journalism Awards For Excellence 2001". Journalism Awards Fro Excellence 2001. No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 23 June 2002. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
- ^ "Honoured by the Guild". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 29 June 2003. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Five eminent journalists honoured". No. Sunday Observer. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited. 11 July 2004. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Islanders take three awards". No. The Island. Upali Newspapers Limited. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Grand night of the journalists". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 12 August 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Remembering the fallen amidst the cheer". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 27 July 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "The night of the pen at milestone of ten". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Journalism Awards for Excellence 2009". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 1 August 2010. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Journalism Awards for Excellence 2010". No. The Island. Upali Newspapers Limited. 30 July 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Awarding excellence". No. Daily Mirror. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Night of the scribes". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "ST Journalists shine at Journalism Awards for Excellence". No. Lanka News Web. lankanewsweb.com. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Night of recognition". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 2 August 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "Journalism Awards for Excellence 2015". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 3 August 2016.
- ^ "Journalism Awards for Excellence 2016". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ "In pictures: Journalism Awards". No. The Sunday Times. Wijeya Newspapers Limited. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- ^ https://ceylontoday.lk/site-api/uploads/e_paper/2019-12-15-Echo.pdf [dead link]