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26th Edition: Journalism Awards for Excellence 2024

Published

2 months ago

on

Results Sheet

Print Media

1. Mervyn De Silva Journalist of the Year – Single Award

Winner: Ms. Sulochana Ramiah Mohan/Ceylon Today

Merit: Mr. K. Sanjeewa/Anidda

Mr. R. Ramkumar/Virakesari

2. Best Health Care & Medical Reporter of the year – Sinhala

Winner: Ms. M. Madhavi Dharmarathna/Lankadeepa

Merit: NO MERIT

3. Best Health Care & Medical Reporter of the year – Tamil

Winner: Ms. Thushyanthi Suresh/Thamilan

Merit: Ms. Mohaned Hussain Fathima Husna/Thinakkural

4. Best Health Care & Medical Reporter of the year – English

Winner: NO AWARD

Merit: NO MERIT

5. Sports Journalists of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Mr. T. H. Nadunka Nethsara/Sathi Aga Aruna

Merit: NO MERIT

6. Sports Journalists of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Mr. M. S. Mohamed Firdous/Thinakaran

Merit: Mr. Neville Victor Anthony/Thinakkural

7. Sports Journalists of the Year – English

Winner: NO AWARD

Merit: NO MERIT

8. Business & Finance Journalist of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Mr. Upul Pradeepa Wickramasinghe/Irida Lankadeepa

Merit: NO MERIT

9. Business & Finance Journalist of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Mr. I. Robert Antony/Virakesari

Merit: NO MERIT

10. Business & Finance Journalist of the Year – English

Winner: Mr. M. A. Nishel Shalinka Fernando/Daily Mirror

Merit: NO MERIT

11. Prof. Kailasapathy Award for Best News or Feature using RTI – Sinhala

Winner: Mr. Rahul Samantha Hettiarachchi/Ada

Merit: NO MERIT

12. Prof. Kailasapathy Award for Best News or Feature using RTI – Tamil

Winner: Mr. K. Prasannakumar/Thinakkural

Merit: NO MERIT

13. Prof. Kailasapathy Award for Best News or Feature using RTI – English

Winner: Mr. A. A. M. Rifthi Ali/Ceylon Today

Merit: NO MERIT

14. B. A. Siriwardena Columnist of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Mr. Kapila Kumara Kalinga/Deshaya

Merit: NO MERIT

15. B. A. Siriwardena Columnist of the Year – Tamil

Winner: NO AWARD

Merit: Mr. Sivalingam Sivakumaran/Virakesari

16. B. A. Siriwardena Columnist of the Year – English

Winner: Mr. M. S. Mohamed Ayub/Daily Mirror

Merit: NO MERIT

17. Subramaniam Chettiar Award for Reporting on Social Issues –

Single Award

Winner: Mr. M. D. Raminda Lasanth/Sunday Divaina

Merit: Mr. Buwanaka S. Perera/Ceylon Today

18. Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Mr. H. T. Rathnaweera/Irida Divaina

Merit: NO MERIT

19. Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Mr. Sivalingam Sivakumaran/Virakesari

Merit: Mr. R. Ramkumar/Virakesari

Mr. U. L. Noorul Hutha/Thamilan

20. Upali Wijewardene Feature Writer of the Year – English

Winner: Mr. Buwanaka S. Perera/Ceylon Today

Merit: NO MERIT

21. Investigative Journalist of the Year – Single Award

Winner: Ms. Nirmala Dushyanthi Kannangara/Daily Mirror

Merit: IG/05/2024 – Mr. Mahendra Tharaka Wickramasekara/Silumina

Mr. R. Ramkumar/Virakesari

22. Scoop of the Year – Single Award

Winner: NOT AWARDED

Merit: NO MERIT

23. Denzil Peiris Young Reporter of the Year – Single Award

Winner: Mr. Mithun Jayawardhana/Ceylon Today

Merit: Ms. Shashika Abeyrathna/Lankadeepa

24. Best Environmental Reporter of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Ms. K. S. Chandima Jayaratna/Silumina

Merit: NO MERIT

25. Best Environmental Reporter of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Mr. A. A. M. Rifthi Ali/Thamilan

Merit: NO MERIT

26. Best Environmental Reporter of the Year – English

Winner: Mr. S. W. A. Chaturanga Pradeep/Daily Mirror

Merit: NO MERIT

27. Best Designed Newspaper of the Year – Sinhala

Winner:Anidda Design Team

Merit: Sathi Aga Aruna Design Team

28. Best Designed Newspaper of the Year – Tamil

Winner: Thinakkural Design Team

Merit: S. Devika Kumari/Virakesari

29. Best Designed Newspaper of the Year – English

Winner: The Sunday Times Design Team

Merit: NO MERIT

30. Cartoonist of the Year – Sinhala

Winner: Mr. W. P. Prasad Hasantha/Aruna

Merit: NO MERIT

31. Cartoonist of the Year – Tamil

Winner: NO AWARD

Merit: Mr. Sawunthis Tharmathas/Virakesari

32. Cartoonist of the Year – English

Winner: Mr. Awantha Artigala/Daily Mirror

Merit: NO MERIT

33. Photojournalist of the Year: – Single Award

Winner: Mr. A. H. L. Ishan Sanjeewa/Sathi Aga Aruna

Merit: Mr. Kushan Pathiraja/Daily Mirror

34. Sepala Gunasena Award for Defending Press Freedom in Sri Lanka

Winner: Mr. Amal Jayasinghe

35. D. R. Wijewardene for Earning the Recognition of Peers and the Public

Winner: Rajan Philips.

Online Newspapers

36. Best Designed News Website – Sinhala

Winner: Divaina.lk

Merit: Ada.lk

37. Best Designed News Website – Tamil

Winner: Tamil Mirror.lk

Merit: Virakesari.lk

38. Best Designed News Website – English

Winner: The Sunday Times.lk

Merit: Daily Mirror.lk

39. Best Video Story-telling – Sinhala

Winner: No Award

Merit: No Award

40. Best Video Story-telling – Tamil

Winner: Virakesari (Ill effects of vape cigarettes)

Merit: Virakesari (Ill effects of fake cosmetics)

41. Best Video Story-telling – English

Winner: The Morning (Women’s Diving Championship)

Merit: The Morning (Women’s Surfing Championship Ms. Senuri Madushani)

Award: 41

Merit: 21

Lifetime Achievement Awards

1. Mr. Upali Tennakoon

2. Ms. Pushpa Ilangantilleke

3. Mr. Alexander Balasooriya

4. Mr. R. A. E. Raman

5. . Mr. Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Chief Guest: Dr. Nihal Jayawickrema


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Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts

Published

7 hours ago

on

2026/03/26

By

Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of  Meteorology
at 3.30 p.m. on 25 March 2026, valid for 26 March 2026.

The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in
Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts.

The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.

Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.

ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.

Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry
of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.

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US dodges question on AKD’s claim SL denied permission for military aircraft to land

Published

7 hours ago

on

2026/03/26

By

President

By Shamindra Ferdinando

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Colombo declared that the United States and Sri Lanka maintain a long-standing defence partnership, grounded in transparency, mutual respect, and shared interests.

The official said so in response to The Island query regarding President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent bombshell disclosure, in Parliament, that his government declined to allow the US Air Force to use the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, following the eruption of the latest West Asia war.

We sought views of the US on President Dissanayake’s claim against the backdrop of Sri Lanka being a party to the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) since 2007. Sri Lanka extended the ACSA in 2017, for another 10-year period, and its extension comes up next year.

The President revealed that the US had requested permission to use Mattala, between 04 and 08 March.

Claiming that the request had been made on 26 February, two days before the war began, President Dissanayake said that the US had sought to land two aircraft, carrying eight anti-ship missiles, but that the request had been turned down to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality. The President revealed that the aircraft were to come from a US base in Djibouti.

The US embassy pokesperson explained that questions related to operational movements, including ‘Operation Epic Fury’, should be directed to the Department of War (DOW) in Washington.

Camp Lemonnier is the primary base of operations for US Africa Command in the Horn of Africa. China, too, has its only overseas military base in Djibouti in the vicinity.

Military sources said whatever various interested parties said about US-Sri Lanka relations, the former provided significant intelligence support during last phase of the conflict that enabled the Navy to hunt down floating LTTE arsenals in international waters. Of the eight LTTE vessels sunk, the US backed four hits with specific intelligence, sources said.

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No decrease in remittances from workers due to Gulf conflict, but significant drop in tourist arrivals – CB Governor

Published

7 hours ago

on

2026/03/26

By

CBSL Governor

Sri Lanka’s worker remittances had not seen a decrease despite the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Central Bank (CBSL) Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday.

“Based on currently available data, they have not seen a decline in remittances. In fact, according to that we have observed, is a slight increase in remittances in the past few days, ” the Governor said at a media conference held at the Central Bank head office in Colombo.

Governor Weerasinghe also mentioned that he had not seen any reports about Sri Lankans returning to the country from the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict.

The Central Bank Governor, however, acknowledged that there had been a decrease in tourist arrivals. He confirmed that tourist arrivals had decreased by around 17 percent due to the current volatile situation in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to maintain the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at the current level of 7.75%, following its latest Monetary Policy Board meeting.

By Hiran H Senewiratne

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