Star's senior writer and photographer shine at awards

Chin Mui Yoon

KUALA LUMPUR: The Star has won a commendation at the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa) Awards for Editorial Excellence 2013.

Senior writer Chin Mui Yoon (pic) won an Honourable Mention for the Excellence in Feature Writing category for her work Trapped by Distance, which was published in Star2 last year.

It documented the lack of healthcare access for Sarawak’s most isolated communities along the Baram River. Chin had spent two weeks visiting villages by boat and on a 4WD.

A record 653 entries were assessed by a panel of 100 judges from around the world, comprising senior editors and journalists from leading publications, and academicians.

The regional journalism awards were given away at a ceremony in Hong Kong.

The first prize went to South China Morning Post for its article highlighting social injustice in China on a massive scale.

The Star’s assistant chief photographer Art Chen was also among the three finalists in the Excellence in Feature Pho-tography category for his photo essay Bull Run. His work, documenting the annual Pacu Jawi or Buffalos’ Race in Sumatra, was also published in Star2 last year.

The first prize went to The Straits Times of Singapore for its work on the republic’s first halfway home.

Both Chin and Chen said they were grateful to the editors who had worked on their stories.

“The Star’s features desk has been winning awards consistently for many years, and I’m glad to carry on its ‘tradition’,” said Chin, 38.

This is Chin’s eighth journalism distinction in her 13-year career with The Star. Among her accolades include being the first Malaysian journalist to win a prize at the Lorenzo Natali Journalism Awards organised by the European Union in 2009.

Established in 1999, the Sopa Awards is a tribute to editorial excellence in both traditional and new media for regional publications.