TODAY's Nabilah Awang bags 'rising star' prize at inaugural Singapore Press Club Awards

SINGAPORE — TODAY journalist Nabilah Awang won the Rising Stars Young Journalist Award at the inaugural Singapore Press Club Awards launched on Friday (June 10) at the Orchard Hotel Singapore.

The award, introduced in commemoration of the Singapore Press Club’s 50th anniversary, recognises journalists and other media-related professionals who have excelled in their craft and made an impact in their work.

Ms Nabilah, who joined TODAY in 2019 and has written about health and community issues, was lauded by the club for writing extensively about the plight of healthcare workers, caregivers and migrant workers. 

The 28-year-old said: “The past year has been a rollercoaster ride for me. I had to navigate work while being a new mum, which has taught me a lot now that I'm pregnant with my second kid.

“So I owe this win to my family, especially my husband, without whom I would not be able to tie loose ends and do what I love best — telling stories.”

Three of Ms Nabilah’s recent stories were highlighted by the Singapore Press Club: A report on Malaysian workers sleeping rough when Malaysia went into a nationwide lockdown in March 2020 and two The Big Read features on the predicaments of caregivers in ageing Singapore as well as the rise in child abuse cases and the community’s role in tackling the problem.

TODAY's chief editor Loh Chee Kong said: “Nabilah is a gifted journalist who has worked hard to be where she is, balancing the demands at work and at home as a young mother. 

“At TODAY, we strive to provide an environment for young reporters to gain a proper grounding and pursue meaningful and impactful journalism.”

Ms Nabilah was among four other award winners on Friday. They were:

• Ms Kelly Ng, correspondent from The Business Times (Rising Stars Young Journalist Award)
• Ms Rebecca Pazos, data visualisation editor from The Straits Times (Rising Stars Young Digital Journalist Award)
• Ms Chai You Xia, senior journalist from 8World News (Rising Stars Young Digital Journalist Award)
• Ms Audrey Tan, assistant news editor and science and environment correspondent from The Straits Times (CDL-Singapore Press Club Sustainability Journalism Award)

Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information, who was the guest of honour, lauded the Singapore media’s truthful and accurate reporting of the Covid-19 pandemic without which, she said, the Government could not have maintained the trust of Singaporeans over the past two years.

She added that the mutual trust and respect between the Government and the media has been “instrumental throughout our existence as an independent nation”.

“At its heart, this relationship is built on the significant value that the Government places on the role of our local media in nation-building,” she said. “I am certain that this will continue under the fourth-generation leadership.”

However, like all relations, it is not without tension, she added.

“It has to be constantly managed, but it has worked. Far from being apologetic about it, we should make every effort to sustain it.”

The awards were presented at the Singapore Press Club's annual Press Ball, which resumed after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Singapore Press Club on Friday also unveiled a Singapore Media Industry Hall of Fame, honouring 50 veterans from the media industry for their lasting and valuable contributions over long careers.

Among them were Mr Cheong Yip Seng, former editor-in-chief of The Straits Times, Mr PN Balji, Mr Mano Sabnani and Ms Margaret Thomas.

Mr Balji was the founding editor of TODAY. Mr Sabnani also led the TODAY newsroom, while Ms Thomas was a senior editor at TODAY, among other appointments in their journalism careers.

The hall of fame also includes 14 pioneers who were inducted posthumously, such as the late former presidents Wee Kim Wee, who was editorial manager at The Straits Times and a founding pioneer of the Singapore Press Club, and Yusof Ishak, who founded the Utusan Melayu Press.