SINGAPORE – A historic picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and United States President Donald Trump shaking hands at the Capella hotel in Sentosa, against a backdrop of their countries’ flags, bagged an award for Singaporean photographer Kevin Lim at the Asian Media Awards ceremony on Wednesday night (May 8).

The 36-year-old executive photojournalist at The Straits Times won the silver award in the Best in News Photography category.

The winning shot and other photos he took of the landmark summit last June have been featured in top news publications around the world including Time magazine, and even on a stamp by Singapore Post.

The award was the latest accolade for Mr Lim, who was named Journalist of the Year by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) for its English/Malay/Tamil Media Group earlier this year.

“I’m not known for winning awards. I’m just someone who likes to take pictures, so to win another award is a little overwhelming,” said Mr Lim. “At the end of the day – awards aside – I just want to tell stories and document them through my lens. “

The award was one of three that The Straits Times clinched at this year’s ceremony held at the Singapore Flyer.

The newspaper also won a bronze award for the Best in Newspaper Overall Design, the fifth consecutive year that it was ranked top three in that category.

ST executive photojournalist Kua Chee Siong, 45, won the bronze award in the Best in Feature Photography category, for his picture of a Rohingya refugee carrying a baby at the Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in August last year.

Said Mr Kua: “It all happened very fast. It was after a heavy downpour – I was shooting a group of boys playing in the mud and this girl, who was carrying a baby, walked past me… Her eyes were captivating, and I felt it made a powerful picture.”

SPH’s Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao won one gold and one bronze award in Best in News Photography and Best in Sport Photography respectively.

Mr Warren Fernandez, ST editor and editor-in-chief of SPH’s English/Malay/Tamil Media Group, said: “Good stories call for good projection and design, with photos, visuals and graphics helping to tell the story. These awards reflect this desire to make the most of all our platforms to engage our readers to best effect.”

The annual competition, now into its 18th edition, is organised by the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (Wan-Ifra). It drew about 350 entries from 55 media companies in 16 countries in Asia and the Middle East.

The other awards celebrated outstanding editorial content, infographics, newspaper marketing and photojournalism.

Other winners include Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP), which won the gold in the Best in Newspaper Overall Design, while Bisnis Indonesia was awarded silver. SCMP also clinched all three awards in the Best in Newspaper Infographics category.

The ceremony was hosted by SPH and the Singapore Flyer. The winners and other guests took a scenic ride on the Flyer before dinner.

Lianhe Zaobao photojournalist Benjamin Lim, 29, who won the bronze in the Best in Sports Photography category for his shot at the Formula 1 races last year, said it was his first milestone on the Asian level.

It was a “lucky shot”, he added.

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