Winners’ list of first Silk Road Global News Awards unveiled

A picture of the photo collection “My Parents Are Ornithologists,” which won the Press Photo Award of the first Silk Road Global News Awards. (Photo/Svetlana Tarasova)

A picture of the photo collection “Glimpses of China,” a finalist for the Press Photo Award of the first Silk Road Global News Awards. (Photo/Yann Layma)

A picture of the photo collection “Dakar Fashion Week,” a finalist for the Press Photo Award of the first Silk Road Global News Awards. (Photo/Fatma Esma Arslan)

A picture of the photo collection “Killing Daisy,” a finalist for the Press Photo Award of the first Silk Road Global News Awards. (Photo/Vito Fusco)

A picture from the photo collection “People and Nature,” a finalist for the Press Photo Award of the first Silk Road Global News Awards. (Photo/Nick Ut)

The winners’ list of the first Silk Road Global News Awards (SRGNA) was unveiled at the Belt and Road News Network (BRNN) Second Council Meeting held in Beijing on Dec. 19, 2022.

The SRGNA, launched by BRNN and organized by the BRNN council chair - People’s Daily - covers five categories: In-depth Reporting Award, Commentary Award, Press Photo Award, Press Video Award, and Special Contribution Award. The first SRGNA also includes the Short Video Award on the Fight against COVID-19.

The SRGNA is a major project included in the List of Deliverables of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. A total of 4,485 entries from 80 countries and regions were collected during the entry phase.

People’s Daily provides a brief introduction of the winners of the first SRGNA.

“Kazakhstan Belt and Road Initiative: The Road to Somewhere,” a news report written by Chris Wright from the U.K., won the In-depth Reporting Award.

The report is rich in content and detailed data, and documents the development of Khorgos, a port at the border between China and Kazakhstan, in recent years. The report also describes the achievements made in the construction of the border between the two countries and offers unique insights into cross-border trade, China-Europe freight trains and the next-stage industrial layout, providing a useful reference for the in-depth development of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The In-depth Reporting Award had four other finalists: “China Creates All Conditions for Transportation of Passengers and Goods” by Nurzhan Kasmalieva from Kyrgyzstan, “BRI Helping Laos to Fulfil Integration Strategy, Build Robust Economy” by Manichanh Pansivongxay from Laos, “Belt and Route, Roads Expanding from China” by Yolaidy Martinez Ruiz from Cuba, and “BRI: Catalyst for Global Peace & Economic Prosperity” by Pakistan’s newspaper Pakistan Observer.

An entry titled “My Parents Are Ornithologists”, by Svetlana Tarasova from Russia, won the Press Photo Award.

In her work, the photographer records the daily life of ornithologist Alexey Druzyaka and his family members through her camera lens. The photos reflect the love and care between people and animals and among people, and tell people that everyone must embrace the idea of protecting all species on Earth like their own homes and develop the ability to do so from an early age.

The Press Photo Award had four other finalists: “Glimpses of China” by Yann Layma from France, “Dakar Fashion Week” by Fatma Esma Arslan from Turkey, “Killing Daisy” by Vito Fusco from Italy, and “People and Nature” by Nick Ut from the US.

The Short Video Award on the Fight against COVID-19 had two finalists: “Together against COVID-19 Promo” by Rodgers Sabana from Kenya and “The Old New Things” by YTV, a television channel in Myanmar.

A work titled “Fighting BRI is Fighting Africa”, submitted by Mubarak Mugabo from Uganda, won the Commentary Award.

It mainly outlines the great contribution China’s BRI has made to the development of African countries. The work not only introduces the railways, roads, airports and other facilities built by Chinese companies in African countries, but also offers a commentary on China-Africa relations and the world order. The author describes to readers what he has seen and heard in China in a personal way, and notes that the BRI is inextricably linked to African countries using specific stories and detailed data.

The Commentary Award had four other finalists: “The US Returns to Isolationism” by Pelagia Karpathiotaki from Greece, “Seize the Great Opportunities of the BRI to Achieve All-round Development under the New Circumstances” by Kanat Tokabayev from Kazakhstan, “The Belt of Hope and the Road of Salvation” by Faruk Boric from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and “It’s Time to Increase Serbian Exports” by Branko Zujovic from Serbia.

The Press Video Award had two finalists: “Maritime Silk Road Reborn” submitted by NGC Network Asia and China International Communication Center, and “New Ties along Silk Road: China-Europe Railway” by China Global Television Network (CGTN) and Radio Television Suisse (RTS).

Mushahid Hussain Syed, head of Pakistan’s Friends of Silk Road club and chairman of the Pakistan-China Institute, was given the Special Contribution Award.

Born in 1952 in Sialkot, Pakistan, Mushahid Hussain Syed led a Pakistan-China youth organization to visit China for the first time at the age of 17. Since then, he has made more than 100 trips to the country. He has devoted considerable efforts to boosting China-Pakistan friendship. He has also played a unique role in promoting the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the BRI, and has set up organizations dedicated to promoting China-Pakistan friendship such as the Pakistan-China Institute and Pakistan’s “Friends of Silk Road” club.