The Department of Journalism and Communication is delighted to congratulate four students from the MA in Global Communication programme (AY2025/26) – Jianyu Zheng, Chaomeng Zhu, Rui Feng, Yingmin Mao – for winning the Second Runner-up Award in the Best ASEAN Photography at the 2026 Campus News Awards, organised by China Daily.
The award-winning photo story, titled “The Drifting Lives of the Bajau People in Semporna”, documents the unique sea-nomadic lifestyle of the Bajau community in Semporna, Malaysia. Through compelling visual storytelling, the students captured the daily lives of one of Southeast Asia’s most distinctive maritime communities.
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The award presentation ceremony was held on 26 October 2026 at the CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute. Cheuk Wing-hing, Hong Kong’s Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, officiated at the ceremony and delivered a keynote address.
This year’s competition attracted more than 1,000 entries from over 100 higher education institutions across Asia, making the competition highly competitive. The students’ outstanding achievement reflects their excellence in photojournalism, storytelling, and international perspectives.
The Department would also like to express its sincere gratitude to the Hong Kong Journalism Education Foundation for supporting the students’ field trip to Malaysia, which made this reporting project possible.
Once again, congratulations to the award-winning team on this remarkable accomplishment. We wish them continued success in their future journalistic endeavors.
- Yingmin Mao receives the award on behalf of the team.
- Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, attends the ceremony and poses for a group photo with guests.
- Carol Yiu, Principal Lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Communication and supervisor of the overseas reporting project, poses for a photo with the award-winning student.
- The team’s photo story, The Drifting Lives of the Bajau People in Semporna, is awarded Second Runner-up in the Best ASEAN Photography.
