Annual competition gains growing influence as industry leaders, veterans, and award winners celebrate excellence in next generation of journalists

The Campus News Awards 2024 program, organized by China Daily Hong Kong, has earned praise from participating journalism students as a valuable platform for detecting major stories of the day, and fostering regional collaboration and exchanges among aspiring media professionals.

Distinguished guests and judges at the event also encouraged students to maintain their commitment to impartial, constructive reporting across various media formats and to drive social progress. They also acknowledged the awards’ expanding influence on journalism education across the Chinese mainland, the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and Taiwan.

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This year’s competition, its 13th edition, featured 28 categories, including Best in News Writing, Feature Writing, Headline Writing, News Page Design, Feature Photography, and New Media Reporting. The event received about 1,000 entries in Chinese and English, produced by more than 3,000 students.

At the awards ceremony on Dec 9, around 300 students from 38 institutions brought home prizes, with Hong Kong Baptist University securing the most awards.

The ceremony, held at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC) in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, attracted more than 300 attendees, including government officials, media industry representatives, journalism scholars and teachers.

Addressing the ceremony, Hong Kong Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Cheuk Wing-hing praised the Campus News Awards as an important platform for communication among media students.

Cheuk highlighted this year’s new Best in Documentary category, saying it has been a valuable life experience for participating students to explore social realities and express their concern for society. He encouraged students to become not only recorders, but also participants and promoters in the building of society.

He emphasized that accurate and impartial reporting, carried out with a constructive attitude and a broad perspective, can drive societal progress and effectively function as a cultural bridge, fostering understanding, harmony, and unity among the communities they cover.

Zhou Li, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily Group and editor-in-chief of China Daily Hong Kong, said that the rise of short-video platforms and other new media is transforming information consumption habits.

“Journalism students should not only be equipped with digital skills, but also the ability to create and disseminate content across various platforms,” Zhou said, stressing that the learning and application of these skills must be rooted in a steadfast commitment to journalistic ethics.

He said he hopes that award-winning students can gain firsthand experience of culture and life of the Chinese mainland, particularly in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, while they attend the event in Zhuhai.

Echoing Zhou’s sentiments, UIC President Chen Zhi said he hopes that the participating students will maintain their professional passion, and continue to scale new heights in their journalism and media careers.

He said he expects that the Campus News Awards will make greater contributions to the exchange and development of journalism and media education across the region.

Wong Siu-kee, managing director of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, the event’s title sponsor, said he believes that the competition could facilitate communication among students and cultivate talent for the journalism industry.

Anita Lai, vice-president of communications and public affairs of Hong Kong Disneyland, highlighted the significant evolution in communication practices. She emphasized journalists’ pivotal role in shaping public perception, underscoring that the effective presentation of facts animates the news and captivates audiences.

Lai also noted Disneyland’s commitment to providing internships and employment opportunities for fresh graduates, encouraging the students to cover the company’s future initiatives.

Success stories

Qu Wangye from Wuhan University, whose team clinched the Best in New Media, described the teams’ emotional victory after winning the university’s milestone awards under the category.

She added that she felt fortunate to earn the recognition after refining the teams’ project, including exploring various presentations for improved expression.

Liu Dexi, co-winner of the Best in Feature Writing (Chinese), from Beijing Foreign Studies University, expressed his hope to unleash his potential in the media sector and bring people’s voices to a wider audience.

“When I noticed there were volunteers narrating movie stories for the visually impaired, I found it meaningful and decided to write a story about it without thinking of winning any award,” he said.

Facilitated by the policy that encourages cooperation among students from different institutions, this year’s Best in News Video Reporting (Chinese) title was shared by students from two mainland universities — Hunan University in Hunan province, and Nanyang Normal University in Henan province.

Wang Xingyu, a member of the cross-institutional team, said that their six-month project focuses on community mutual support and integration. Following frequent exchanges among project members, what began as a competition entry evolved into something much more meaningful.

As they conducted deeper interviews and unearthed more intricate narratives, the commitment to the project grew, aiming to shed light on the subject and attract community attention, she said. The team kept refining its work until the extended deadline.

Hang Seng University of Hong Kong student Cheung Chun-hei won second runner-up in Best in News Video Reporting (Chinese) — his second award in two years.

“I want to encourage my younger schoolmates, as they often ask me how to find a good story. It’s actually quite simple: Just ask yourself, ‘Is this for real?’ There are many things in life that make you think of this, and that’s where stories start,” Cheung said.

Veteran guests, in addition to the students, also reflected on their shifting roles as the awards entered a new stage.

Lim Chi-yuk, former associate professor of the Faculty of Journalism at Taiwan’s Shih Hsin University, has transitioned from a five-time mentor to serving as a first-time judge.

Lim, who retired after about 40 years of teaching, said that the new role represents a significant shift for her. Previously, her focus was primarily on her students’ work, but this year she has the privilege of evaluating outstanding submissions from different regions.

She described it as an exchange of skills, allowing her to recognize the unique writing characteristics of students in English journalism from various places. Lim expressed deep gratitude to China Daily for broadening her horizons.

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Organized by China Daily Hong Kong since 2012, the Campus News Awards program is a prominent exchange platform for journalism students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and the mainland, and aims to encourage college students to actively participate in campus news reporting and hone their all-around skills as future journalists.

Click here to see the winning list

This year also saw a 30 percent increase in the number of participating institutions from Taiwan compared with last year.

Luna Jin contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at garychiu@chinadailyhk.com