JOURNALISTS from Star Media Group (SMG) took home several awards at the Petaling Jaya City Council’s (MBPJ) Media Awards 2026.
They were Mayor’s Special Media Award, Special Report (Print Category), Best Print Media (English Category) and Best Visual Journalism (Photography).
StarMetro journalist Edward Rajendra won the Mayor’s Special Media Award and RM2,000 for his articles “Sports hub in the works”, “Sports integration a game changer in Kelana Jaya” and “Underutilised futsal court to be used for racquet sports”.
“I am grateful to the organisers and judges for recognising StarMetro’s role in amplifying voices and telling important stories,’’ said Edward.
Fellow StarMetro journalists Bavani M, Aida Ahmad and Shalini Ravindran won RM2,000 in the Special Report (Print Category) for their articles “Parking at the crossroads” and “Terms of engagement”.
“We wrote about the difficult balancing act local councils face and why accountability matters for parking,” Bavani said.
Sheila Sri Priya, another StarMetro journalist, won Best Print Media (English Category) and took home RM1,000 for her story, “Supermoms at Work”.
“The women featured had dangerous and demanding jobs, such as a technician who climbs high-rise structures, a rubbish truck driver and an MBPJ health enforcement officer,” she said.
SMG photographer Azman Ghani took home RM1,000 for Best Visual Journalism (Photography) for his image titled “Murals help seniors find their way in PJ”, featuring a giant owl.
All winners also received trophies and certificates from Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohamad Zahri Samingon.
The guest of honour at the event, with the theme “Hip Hop Glamour”, was Lembah Jaya assemblyman Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad, better known as Altimet.
He was given the Petaling Jaya Arts Recognition Award.
“A total of 2,143 media reports were recorded covering MBPJ’s various programmes, initiatives and achievements during 2025.
“I believe that accurate, balanced and credible reporting not only helps disseminate information to the public but also strengthens public confidence in the policies, programmes and services implemented by the city council,” said Mohamad Zahri.
MBPJ also presented its Planning and Development Department with the Special Department Award for its role in promoting the city council’s numerous initiatives through the media.
