By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 20: DayakDaily clinched one silver and two bronze awards at the 37th Kenyalang Journalism Awards (KJA), held at Pullman Hotel here earlier tonight.
Business writer Yvonne Tuah Merawin received the Silver Award, while promising journalist Ashley Sim secured a Bronze Award under the Sarawak Energy Sustainability Journalism Award (English category) for their compelling news articles, “Green Revolution: Supercharging Sarawak’s Energy Prowess” and “Guardians of the Wild: Photography and Research Driving Sarawak’s Conservation”, respectively.
Yvonne further added a Bronze Award under the Shell Business and Economic Journalism Award (English category) for her article, “Expansionary Budgets: The Bedrock of Sarawak’s Economic Transformation.”
The event also honoured K.C. Jong (Yao Yuan), a veteran journalist, celebrated cultural historian, and tireless public servant from Kuching, with the prestigious Journalism Icon Award. The accolade recognises a remarkable career spanning over six decades, transitioning seamlessly from frontline reporting to profound historical documentation, cementing his legacy as a keeper of Sarawak’s narrative.
Using his honorary pen name, Yao Yuan, he has authored 24 books, 15 of which focus specifically on Sarawak history. His works, including the seminal Sarawak Hakka Series and detailed accounts like Kalimantan on Fire and Revisiting the 1857 Bau Chinese Uprising, are considered invaluable academic resources and have supported numerous postgraduate students from Malaysia, Taiwan, and China.
The awards were presented by their respective category sponsors, with the Premier Award personally handed over by Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg during the ceremony.
This year’s KJA received an impressive 435 entries, up from 390 in 2024, spanning 10 categories and four language sections – English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Bahasa Iban, highlighting the depth and talent of Sarawak’s media professionals.
The categories contested included Presss Metal Journalism (Feature and News Feature), Bintulu Port News Reporting, Sports Reporting, Broadcast Journalism, Sarawak Energy Sustainability Journalism, Shell Business & Economic Journalism, PETRONAS Community Wellbeing and Rural Development Journalism, Bintulu Port Photo Journalism, Hock Seng Lee Photo Essay Journalism, and Sarawak Premier Digital Economy Journalism.
The Malaysia Press Institute (MPI), which served as the judging panel, praised the English-language entries for their strong research, resulting in well-rounded and compelling stories.
Judges noted that human interest, news, and business features benefit greatly from careful research and a multi-source approach rather than relying on a single source.
They also highlighted the importance of humanising stories by opening with personal experiences or narratives, a technique that works not only for human interest features but also for business, development, or environmental reporting.
Additionally, judges urged writers to keep their stories concise, emphasising the value of explaining complex issues in accessible and straightforward language.
While AI can be useful for research and editing, the panel stressed that it should never replace the writer’s creativity as understanding the subject thoroughly and producing original, insightful content remains essential.
The 37th KJA showcased the growing professionalism, creativity, and dedication of Sarawak’s media, reaffirming DayakDaily’s commitment to quality journalism. — DayakDaily
