Burma presented its first national journalism awards to journalists on Sunday, in an effort to develop the media which is underdoing a reform process after years of repression and censorship.
The four awards and one special award were presented by the National Press Award Committee at the National Theater.
The Best News Award, covering U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Burma, was awarded to four journalists with the Kumudra Journal – Nan Lwin, Nin Yadana Zaw, Aye Thiri Win and Wint Wathi. The Best News Feature Award, on internal peace, was won by Nyein Nyein Naing of the 7-Day News Journal.
The Most Significant National News Photo Award, which showed a meeting between President Thein Sein and National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi with a background of Burma's Independence Hero General Aung San, was won by Maung Maung Than of the Myanmar News Agency.
At the awards ceremony, Minister of Information and Culture Kyaw Hsan the country’s new media law that is currently being drafted will be equal to Asean standards is being drafted with the cooperation of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the existing Myanmar Writers and Journalists Association. The National Press Award Committee was formed on Aug. 18, 2011.
The government has offered 15 national-level literary awards and 13 Sarpay Beikman (Literature House) manuscript awards every year to encourage preservation and promotion of literary and cultural heritage. In addition, a number of private foundations in offer literary awards to honor successful writers and journalists as an encouragement to the development of the sector.
Since the new government was formed in March 2011, it has eased some restrictions on media among its reform measures, but there is still prior censorship of the news media.
