On January 14th Mind Hong Kong (Mind HK) celebrated the role of the media in reducing the stigma of mental health with its annual Media Awards. More than 100 people attended the awards ceremony, held at the city’s prestigious Foreign Correspondent’s Club, which saw six awards each presented to English-language and Chinese media at a ceremony hosted by Eric Wishart, News Management at Agence France Presse (AFP).

“Our goal is to make sure that no-one has to face a mental health problem alone,” said Dr. Hannah Reidy, Chief Executive Officer of Mind HK. “The media plays a major part in destigmatising mental health, and our awards give us the opportunity to celebrate the role of the media. We are truly grateful to all the entrants for shining a light on the issue of mental health in Hong Kong.”

The award ceremony – sponsored by Parkingbnb and supported by Town House – featured a number of speeches about mental health. Eric Wishart addressed the challenge of mental health among the media. Lesley Chiang, the celebrated actress, singer, and mental health activist and Olivia Parker, Mind HK Board Member, both spoke about their personal stories and the importance of responsible reporting on mental health in the media. 

The awards span print, digital and broadcast in both English-language and Chinese media and cover the 12-month period from July 2018 to June 2019. Mind HK received over 100 entries which were evaluated by a 13-strong judging panel which included Chris Yeung, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Candice Ling, Clinical Psychologist at New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, and Paul Yip, Director of the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention. The panel weighed each award against three key criteria: challenging perceptions of mental health; well-crafted and responsibly produced; and reach and impact.

The winners were:

Chinese-language English-language
Journalist Lee Wai Kwan   Kate Whitehead
Broadcast So Moon Yuk  Karen Koh & Noreen Mir
Student journalist

1. Tsang Man Him, Chan Ka Wing and Lam Oi Yee

2. Yu Wing Tun and Wong Ching Yi 

Jasmine Leung
Digital champion TWGHs Radio-i-Care team Jasmine Leung
Making a difference award Lee Wai Kwan  Karen Koh & Noreen Mir
Speaking Out Award Lam Ho Yan  Edward Gunawan & Elbert Lim