Express journalist wins Young Humanitarian Writers Competition top prize
Published on: Friday, December 13, 2019
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KUALA LUMPUR: Daily Express journalist Saila Saidie (pic) emerged top winner in the journalist category for the 2019 Young Humanitarian Writers Competition organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the National Press Club (NPC) Malaysia in co-operation with the Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC).
Saila’s entry “Tuaran 24-hr ambulance service stopped despite demand” beat 160 other entries nationwide.
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According to Kuala Lumpur ICRC Programme Officer Chin Lili, this is the first time a Sabah newspaper won the competition.
Rozainah Abdul Rahim, 29, from Perak Bernama bureau, won the second prize through her feature article titled “Penduduk Islam Marawi Buka Lembaran Hidup Baharu Selepas Perang (Muslims In Marawi See New Life After Battle)”, according to ICRC, NPC, and MRC as stated in a joint statement on Thursday.
Meanwhile, NPC President Datuk Ahirudin Atan said more than 160 entries were received from young writers all over Malaysia for the competition this year, the highest since it was launched in 2015.
“I would also love to see the youths promote humanitarian issues on social media platforms so that the awareness can increase and reach far and wide,” he said.
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Meanwhile, in the same statement, MRC National Treasurer Hakim Hamzah expressed hope to see more young people, as agents of behavioural change and humanitarian writers in multiple languages, spreading messages of humanity and positive values among the society.
As for the non-journalist category, Teh Wen Miin won the first prize, while Muhammad Arif Fitri Azizan took the second in the English Language category.
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For the Malay Language category, Muhammad Fahmi Md Ramzan and Nur Ellyna Azizi were named the winners of the first and second prizes, respectively.
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The fifth edition of Young Humanitarian Writers Competition was launched on Aug 12 this year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions of 1949.
The competition was opened to all aged between 16 and 30, seeking to encourage journalistic-style humanitarian writing, the statement added.
