Awards Finalists
SOPA announces the Finalists for the SOPA 2025 Awards for Editorial Excellence!
1. Excellence in Reporting on Women’s Issues (卓越女性議題報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: The New York Times with the Fuller Project, The Brutality of Sugar
Honorable Mention: Bloomberg News, The Egg
Finalist: The Washington Post, The Taliban’s Assault on Women’s Freedom
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: The Wire, Breaking The Nets
Honorable Mention: Myanmar Now, Women of Myanmar: Navigating Civil War
Finalist: The Quint, Patriarchy’s Silent Hand: The Hidden Pressure on Women to Become Organ Donors
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 報導者 The Reporter, 代孕求子「天堂路」：他們的夢碎風險及道德難題/Surrogacy to Fulfill Parenthood Dreams? The Risks of Shattered Hopes and Ethical Dilemmas
Honorable Mention: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 走進LGBT婚禮前，一對香港女同志歷經離婚與飄泊建立了真正的家/From Divorce to Home: A Hong Kong Lesbian Couple’s Journey to Their LGBT Wedding
Finalist: 明報 Ming Pao, 奧運女拳賽性別爭議系列/Diversity vs Equality? Olympic Boxers’ Gender Row Explained
2. Excellence in Journalistic Innovation (卓越新聞報道創新獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: CNN International, A shrinking life: Why some Asian youth withdraw from the world
Honorable Mention: Nikkei Asia, Tokyo runway collision
Finalist: The New York Times, China’s Great Wall of Villages
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: The Wire, Breaking The Nets
Honorable Mention: CNA, Walk the Line: An interactive journey through perilous China-US migration route
Finalist: Eco-Business, Killing them softly: Southeast Asia’s cautious quest to phase out its coal fleet using transition credits
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 歪脑|WHYNOT, 六四三十五周年系列报道/June 4 35th Anniversary Series
Honorable Mention: 報導者 The Reporter, 觀測儀表板：你家立委4年來為哪些議題發聲?/How Taiwan Lawmakers Speak Up: A Four-Year Breakdown of Legislative Priorities by Parties and Politicians
Finalist: 天下雜誌 CommonWealth Magazine, 花蓮震後追蹤：太魯閣上如何重建?/Taiwan’s Post-Earthquake Landscape: Taroko Park’s Long Road to Recovery
3. Excellence in Audio Reporting (卓越音頻報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: The Economist, The Modi Raj
Honorable Mention: The World, Bougainville: The World’s Next New Country?
Finalist: BBC World Service, The Watermelons: Myanmar's military mole
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Mongabay, Wild Frequencies: How listening to India’s animals inspires people to protect wildlife
Honorable Mention: Frontier Myanmar, ‘It felt like hell on earth’: The burning of Buthidaung
Finalist: PumaPodcast, 100 Years of Juan Ponce Enrile and the Philippines
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 走線，未完成/Unfinished Line: Unsung Stories of Chinese Leaving Their Homeland
Honorable Mention: 中央廣播電臺 Radio Taiwan International, 我的孩子不是你的孩子 - 代理孕母系列報導/Challenging Perceptions of Surrogacy Parenthood
Finalist: Voice of America Mandarin, 越洋电话 - 小罗快跑：盲、茫和芒/My Voice, Our Story: Run! Xiao Luo, Run!
4. Excellence in Video Reporting (卓越視頻報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: BBC News, Malnutrition and disease ravages Afghanistan’s children
Honorable Mention: CNN International, CNN witnesses high-stakes confrontation at sea between China and Philippines
Finalist: Agence France-Presse, Young Mongolians bridge rural, urban divide
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: The Fourth Alliance and Malaysiakini, The Forgotten Babies
Honorable Mention: The Straits Times, How accessible is Singapore? We travel with a wheelchair user to find out.
Finalist: Narasi, Unmasking Anti-Rohingya Hate Campaigns
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 華視新聞 CTS, 失智怎麼伴 How to Care for Family Members with Dementia
Honorable Mention: 天下雜誌 CommonWealth Magazine, 台灣好棒棒，卻有垃圾山！爆量、排擠、回收不確實…看懂失控的垃圾危機/The Crisis of Taiwan’s Garbage Mountain
Finalist: 報導者 The Reporter, 人生的縫隙/Cracks in Life
5. Excellence in Human Rights Reporting (卓越人權報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: Reuters, Myanmar’s conflict
Honorable Mention: Financial Times, A disappearance in Xinjiang
Finalist: The New York Times, Tormentors Change, but Not the Torment
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Malaysiakini, Heavy metals found in Kelantan Orang Asli blood, community fear poisoned by mining
Honorable Mention: Kontinentalist, Pakistan’s untold war: No justice for Balochistan’s disappeared
Finalist: Rest of World, WhatsApp vigilantes in India are converting Christians by force
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 集誌社 The Collective HK, 反修例五年：他們好嗎?/Five Years After Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement: How are they?
Honorable Mention: 歪脑|WHYNOT, 作为思想犯的王建兵与黄雪琴：在互助与连结中获得滋养的灵魂/Jailed but Not Silenced: Huang Xueqin, Wang Jianbing, and the Ties of Civil Society
Finalist: 聯合報 United Daily News, 樓鳳、人蛇、學生妹：疫後「新南向」為何淪為性樂園？揭密機房數據，跨國剝削鏈現形/How Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy Increases Cross-border Prostitution and Exploitation
6. Excellence in Feature Writing (卓越專題特寫獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: Bloomberg News, The Deadly Mining Complex Powering the EV Revolution
Honorable Mention: 1843 Magazine, The Economist, The cruise that will get you chased by the Chinese coastguard
Finalist: CNN International, The ‘walking route’: How an underground industry is helping migrants flee China for the US
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: The Australian Financial Review, Inside the ‘unending chaos’ at Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue
Honorable Mention: The Japan Times, Noto communities
Finalist: Frontier Myanmar, Finding Marwi in Loikaw
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 替俄羅斯打仗的中國人：錢，刺激，當網紅/Chinese Fighting for Russia: Money, Thrill, and Becoming Influencers
Honorable Mention: 誌傳媒 HK Feature, 民主鳳梨「上架國際」路難行 兩岸政治角力之間左右為難/‘Democracy pineapple’ caught in political dilemma across the Taiwan Strait
Finalist: 關鍵評論網 The News Lens, 能源如何轉了彎？核電復興下，台灣如何選擇?/Where Is Energy Headed? Taiwan at a Nuclear Crossroads
7. Excellence in Technology Reporting (卓越科技報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: Nikkei Asia, China’s tech industry fights back
Honorable Mention: The Wall Street Journal, How China is Trying to 'Delete' American Technology
Finalist: The New York Times, The Global Chip War
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Frontier Myanmar, Myanmar’s cyberscam scourge
Honorable Mention: Rest of World, TSMC’s debacle in the American desert
Finalist: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, The Cost of Convenience
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 天下雜誌 CommonWealth Magazine, 台日半導體最強島鏈/The Japan-Taiwan chip alliance
Honorable Mention: 端傳媒 Initium Media, AI邊界：審查、語言消亡與隱形勞工系列/The Frontiers of AI: Censorship, Vanishing Languages, and Invisible Labor
Finalist: 信報財經月刊 Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly, Deepfake/騙案增十倍 AI黑色產業急速膨脹/Deepfake Scams Skyrocket as AI Black Market Grows
8. Excellence in Magazine Design (卓越雜誌設計獎)*
Award for Excellence: South China Morning Post, The new PostMag
Honorable Mention: 彭博商業周刊/中文版 Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese Edition, ESG特輯/The ESG Issue
Finalist: 天下雜誌 CommonWealth Magazine, 813期2025經濟大預測/2025 Economic Forecast
9. Excellence in Arts and Culture Reporting (卓越藝術及文化報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: 1843 Magazine, The Economist, How I became the Taliban’s portrait artist
Honorable Mention: The Economist, Consider the monster: What a 70-year-old firebreathing lizard reveals about humanity
Finalist: The New York Times, Culture in China
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Frontier Myanmar, Dead man’s hand: Gambling takes over funerals
Honorable Mention: PostMag, Academic bars? Craft beer meets intellectual discourse at Shanghai’s Bunker, sparking a trend across China
Finalist: The Strait Times, Beautiful, versatile Kebaya: Uniting South-east Asia with fashion and heritage
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 鏡週刊 Mirror Media, 留住一切親愛的/Revisiting 11 Vanishing Traditional Bookstores in Taiwan
Honorable Mention: 彭博商業周刊/中文版 Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese Edition, 溫柔的力量/The Gentle Power
Finalist: 端傳媒 Initium Media, '希望有一天，我可以在香港公開唱歌'/'I Hope One Day I Can Sing In Hong Kong'
10. Excellence in Bahasa Indonesia News Reporting (亞洲出版業協會印尼語新聞報道獎)
Award for Excellence: BBC Indonesian service, Nasib masyarakat adat O’Hongana Manyawa di sekitar rantai pasok Tesla di Halmahera/The fate of the O’Hongana Manyawa indigenous people around Tesla’s supply chain
Honorable Mention: Project Multatuli, Gurita Bisnis Raffi Ahmad: Ditopang Keluarga Presiden, Bos Nikel, hingga Petinggi Partai Golkar/Raffi Ahmad's Business Octopus: Supported by the President's Family, Nickel Bosses, and Golkar Party Officials
Finalist: BBC Indonesian service, Cerita dari kampung terpencil di pedalaman Papua Selatan - Mengapa gizi buruk masih menghantui Asmat?/The plight of Asmat tribe in Papua - Why does malnutrition still persist in Asmat?
11. Excellence in Explanatory Reporting (卓越解釋性報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: Bloomberg News, Japan’s Massive Money Experiment
Honorable Mention: Financial Times, The battlegrounds that could decide a US-China war over Taiwan
Finalist: The Information, How Temu Charges Ahead Despite Controversies
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Renewed Attention on Political Dynasties in the Philippines
Honorable Mention: Kontinentalist, Singapore’s divisive ethnicity-based housing policy
Finalist: The Straits Times, Here’s how the Johor-Singapore Causeway evolved over 100 years
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 國安最大案紀錄：香港47人案法庭報導系列/Records of the Biggest National Security Trial: Court Coverage of the Hong Kong 47
Honorable Mention: READr, 透視臺灣政治新局：5 萬篇社群文章裡三黨支持者的價值與對話/Unveiling Taiwan’s New Political Landscape
Finalist: 報導者 The Reporter, 我們，沒有地方好死 - 台灣匱乏的臨終場所/No Place to Die with Dignity: Taiwan’s Shortage of End-of-Life Care
12. Excellence in Business Reporting (卓越經濟報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: The Wall Street Journal, The Bitter Truth About China’s Economic Miracle
Honorable Mention: The New York Times, China’s E.V. Revolution
Finalist: Bloomberg News, Adani’s Empire
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Frontier Myanmar, Smugglers’ paradise
Honorable Mention: The Australian Financial Review, No more wise guy: The downfall of ‘LinkedIn Lecher’ Richard White
Finalist: Frontier Myanmar, All that glitters: Gold market freezes amid junta crackdown
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 報導者 The Reporter, 出口禁令下的紅線交易 - 揭開MIT工具機流入俄羅斯隱蹤/Illicit Trade Under Export Bans: Unveiling How Taiwan-Made Machine Tools Flow into Russia
Honorable Mention: 商業周刊 Business Weekly, 台灣螺絲王國存亡戰/Taiwan’s Screw Empire: A Battle for Survival
Finalist: 天下雜誌 CommonWealth Magazine, 體檢「中國製造2025」超科幻現場/The Scene Behind the Super Sci-Fi 'Made in China 2025'
13. Excellence in Infographics (卓越數據圖像獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: Financial Times, The battlegrounds that could decide a US-China war over Taiwan
Honorable Mention: Reuters, Japan’s bear problem
Finalist: Reuters, How China drives the donkey trade
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: The Straits Times, Taylor Swift infographics that make up a giant poster
Honorable Mention: The Straits Times, How food diary videos on social media can impact your body image
Finalist: India Today, A Guide to Gut Health
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 天下雜誌 CommonWealth Magazine, 0403花蓮震後追蹤：太魯閣上如何重建?/Taiwan’s Post-Earthquake Landscape: Taroko Park’s Long Road to Recovery
Honorable Mention: 報導者 The Reporter, 當土地開發與國土保育持續衝突 ─《國土計畫法》上路風暴/Functional Zone of Spatial Planning in Turmoil
Finalist: 今日新聞 NOWnews, 霸「零」怎解 - 反霸凌我陪你 照亮前方的路/Anti-bullying, I’m with you lighting the way forward
14. Excellence in Reporting Breaking News (卓越突發新聞獎)**
Award for Excellence: Reuters, South Korea’s martial law crisis
Honorable Mention: Agence France-Presse, Bangladesh revolution
Finalist: The New York Times, Jeju Air Crash
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 珠海撞人系列/Zhuhai Random Attack Report Series
Honorable Mention: 香港01 HK01, 香港駐倫敦經貿辦間諜案/Spy Case of Hong Kong Trade Office in London
Finalist: 鏡週刊 Mirror Media, 可畏的天災 可敬的人 - 日本能登半島強震直擊系列報導/Shaken, Buried, and Overwhelmed by Snow: How Japan Faces the Onslaught of Noto Peninsula Earthquake
15. Excellence in Opinion Writing (卓越評論獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: Bloomberg News, How the US Lost the Solar Power Race to China
Honorable Mention: Financial Times, From 'punycorns’ to oodles of noodles - columns on business in Japan
Finalist: Reuters, Adani’s lessons for India
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: The Straits Times, No country for young men: Where is Malaysia’s next generation of leaders?
Honorable Mention: Culpium, TSMC Built a Bamboo Ladder. Trump Might Yet Shake It
Finalist: The Straits Times, Sayonara to the Japanese salaryman
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 香港01 HK01, 財赤、發債、撤辣 - 從朱鎔基問董建華說起：怕什麼?/Fiscal deficit, bond issuance, and withdrawal of stimulus measures - on Zhu Rongji asking Tung Chee-hwa: What are you afraid of?
Honorable Mention: 亞洲週刊 Yazhou Zhoukan, 香港雨傘運動十年一夢，此間非少年人面也全非/A decade after Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement, young activists melt into the air
Finalist: 灼見名家 Master-Insight.com, 從《基本法》23條說國家安全系列/Navigating national security series, on HK Basic Law Article 23
16. Excellence in Reporting on the Environment (卓越環境報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: The New York Times, Is a ‘Green’ Revolution Poisoning India’s Capital?
Honorable Mention: Bloomberg News, Uncovered
Finalist: The Associated Press, Vietnam Environment
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Rest of World, Riders in the smog: Pollution is poisoning gig workers
Honorable Mention: Internews’ Earth Journalism Network, Ground Truths: A Collaborative Special Report on Soil in Asia
Finalist: Malaysiakini, Timber Grab: The truth behind Pahang oil palm plantations
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 今周刊 Business Today, 綠電棄嬰/Abandoned Green Electricity
Honorable Mention: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 中國土地下沉/Sinking China
Finalist: 商業周刊 Business Weekly, 60天追蹤化工巨頭桃園失格記/Taiwan’s Dark Waters: a 60-Day Investigation into the Fall of a Chemical Titan in Taoyuan
17. Excellence in Photography (卓越攝影獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: The New York Times, Tormentors Change, but Not the Torment
Honorable Mention: Reuters, Mad honey
Finalist: Reuters, India election
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Bollo.id, The Apocalypse Has Arrived
Honorable Mention: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Tragedy in Talisay
Finalist: Rest of World, Portraits of gig workers in rare moments off the clock
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 花蓮403地震 災難與重生/Hualien Earthquake: Disaster and Rebirth
Honorable Mention: 報導者 The Reporter, 國會風暴/Taiwan’s Parliamentary Turmoil
Finalist: 集誌社 The Collective HK, 北部都會區：被發展前的記錄/Northern Metropolitan: Records before Development
18. The Scoop Award (獨家新聞獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: Reuters, China’s macroeconomic policy
Honorable Mention: The Information, TSMC’s High-Wire Act to Please Both China and the U.S.
Finalist: Agence France-Presse, Battered, empty Myanmar town shows price of victory against junta
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Frontier Myanmar, Dissent in the junta’s ranks
Honorable Mention: Malaysiakini, Sabah Corruption Scandal
Finalist: The Quint, Dalit Family 'Tricked' Into Donating ₹10 Cr to BJP in Political Funding
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 報導者 The Reporter, 獵童風暴：揭開未成年性剝削影像的暗黑產業鏈/Uncovering Abuse: The Illegal Industrializing of Child Sex Abuse Images in Taiwan
Honorable Mention: 端傳媒 Initium Media, 替俄羅斯打仗的中國人：錢，刺激，當網紅/Chinese Fighting for Russia: Money, Thrill, and Becoming Influencers
Finalist: 上下游新聞市集 News & Market, 中國牡蠣暗渡離島：走私潮如何撼動台灣牡蠣市場/Chinese Oysters Smuggled via Offshore Islands: How Black Markets are Shaking Taiwan’s Oyster Industry
19. Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting (卓越調查報道獎)
Global
Award for Excellence: The Associated Press, South Korea’s Adoption Reckoning
Honorable Mention: The Wall Street Journal, Inside China’s Global Espionage Machine
Finalist: The New York Times, The Panda Factories
Regional/Local
Award for Excellence: Mekong Eye, Cattle Hustle
Honorable Mention: Hong Kong Free Press, Investigation: Hong Kong’s role in illegal deforestation of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil
Finalist: HaRDstories, Scammed, enslaved, arrested: The triple tragedy of Thailand’s cyber scam victims
Chinese
Award for Excellence: 端傳媒 Initium Media,「走線，未完成」系列報導/Walk the line, the journey continues
Honorable Mention: BBC 中文 BBC Chinese, 大學假學歷風波：拆解中國學生天價「保錄」背後的香港高校收生漏洞/The Price of Admission: How Fake Degrees and ‘Guaranteed’ Offers Exploit Hong Kong’s University System
Finalist: 香港01 HK01, 假學歷、高才通簽證造假黑中介調查/Faking Credentials and Talent Visas
20. SOPA Award for Young Journalist (亞洲出版業協會最佳新人記者大獎)*
Award for Excellence: The Information, Qianer Liu
Honorable Mention: Financial Times, Eleanor Olcott
Finalist: The New York Times, John Yoon
21. SOPA Award for Public Service Journalism (亞洲出版業協會公共服務新聞大獎)*
Award for Excellence: The Wall Street Journal, A Vicious New Scam Industry Metastasizes
Honorable Mention: Bloomberg News, The Egg
Finalist: 報導者 The Reporter, 獵童風暴：揭開未成年性剝削影像的暗黑產業鏈/Uncovering Abuse: The Illegal Industrializing of Child Sex Abuse Images in Taiwan
* One award across all three groups
** Combined Global/Regional groups (due to not receiving more than 5 entries)
Note: This list is based on the titles of entries as submitted. Due to system limitations, the above links lead to just one story in each entry, even for entries that consisted of a package of related stories. The judges took into consideration the entire package of stories in making their decisions.
Please be reminded that any articles on this list used for promotional purposes at any time should wherever possible display the SOPA 2025 Awards logo and include a link to www.sopawards.com. Thank you.
