Entries invited from KP journalists for Amir Ahmad Siddiqui Media Awards

PESHAWAR: The judges committee of the 5th Amir Ahmad Siddiqui Media Awards has invited entries for this year’s competition from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa journalists by March 8.

According to a press release, the committee decided to include two new categories this year. They include the best woman journalist award and an award for the best journalist from the erstwhile Fata now merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

This is the fifth consecutive year that the competition is being organized by the family of Amir Ahmad Siddiqui (late), a veteran journalist and known figure of the newspaper industry from Peshawar under the supervision of a group of senior journalists and academics.

The competition now has nine categories and every winner will get cash prize of Rs30,000 each along with trophy.

The woman journalist award category has been introduced for the first time. It will set a precedent in Pakistan and recognize the contribution of newswomen as they work in a difficult cultural and social environment.

The special category for the tribal region journalists is aimed at creating equal opportunities for them.

The judges committee headed by senior journalist Rahimullah Yusufzai has decided to invite entries for the following categories: best investigative Urdu feature/news story award, best investigative English news story/feature award, best news picture award, best journalistic work award (print or electronic) by a woman journalist, best Urdu column/feature/news story award by journalists from the tribal region, and the best television news package/report award, which includes separate awards for the reporter and the video cameraman.

Other members of the committee are Ismail Khan, Editor Dawn (North), senior journalist Abdullah Jan, Shabina Ayaz, Resident Director, Aurat Foundation Peshawar, and Faizullah Jan, Chairman, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Peshawar).

Journalists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are eligible to take part in the competition. The applicants have been asked to send entries to the email address: aasaward2020@gmail.com.

The journalistic work that appeared in local, national or international media during the one-year period ending on December 31, 2019 would be eligible for the awards. The judges have decided to continue giving a special award to a veteran journalist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for lifetime achievement. The awards ceremony will be held in the last week of March.

The committee has decided to continue with the detailed criteria evolved for each of the categories already available on the awards’ official Facebook page. The judges have also decided to continue with the previous year’s practice of involving an extended group of senior journalists from Peshawar to help them select the winners.