Awards in tonight’s Asia Media Awards were spread far and wide, with winners in Japan and the Gulf joining local and regional heroes.

The gala presentation event rounded off the first day of WAN-Ifra’s 12th Publish Asia conference, held in Bali, Indonesia, and attended by more than 700 media executives from 31 countries.

Best in print awards went to Abu Dhabi-based United Printing & Publishing (under 150,000 copies) and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun (over 150,000).

Local heroes Jawa Pos and Kompas Gramedia – who were instrumental in bringing the conference to Indonesia – also featured in the awards list. Winners in other categories also included Star (Malaysia), the South China Morning Post, Jakarta Globe, Mid Day, Malayala Manorama, Gulf News and Singapore Press Holdings.

The day’s programme began with an official opening by the country’s vice president Boediono, welcomes from WAN-Ifra president Jacob Mathew and Ifra Asia president Pichai Chuensuksawadi, and a keynote address by Jack Matthews, metro chief executive of Australia’s Fairfax Media.

Sessions split into interlocking ‘conferences’ for CEOs and senior executives responsible for newsroom, advertising and printing, and were supported by an exhibition.

The event continues  tomorrow (Thursday).

Asia Media Awards winners were:

Best in print (under 150,000 copies): gold– United Printing & Publishing for Al Ittihad; silver– HT Media for Mint; bronze– United Printing & Publishing or The National.

Above 150,000 copies: gold– Asahi Printech for the Asahi Shimbun; silver– ABP for Anandabazar Patrika; bronze– Bennett, Coleman & Co for the Times of India.

Design awards: newspaper overall design: gold– BeritaSatu Media Holdings for Jakarta Globe; silver– Al Nisr Publishing for Gulf News; bronze– HT Media for Mint.

Magazine overall design: gold– South China Morning Post Publishers for Post Magazine; silver– Zhejiang Daily Join-Home Media for Tao + 淘寶天下(香港); bronze– Sesame Seed Creatives for Garage Magazine.

Newspaper Front Page Design: gold– Jawa Pos for Century Jadi Target Utama; silver– Jawa Pos for Petaka Tenggarong; bronze– APN News and Media NZ for Herald on Sunday ‘Kiwi In Massacre’.

Magazine Cover Design: gold– South China Morning Post Publishers for Post Magazine, City limits; silver– Ink Publishing for fah thai Magazine, Into the wild; bronze– Sing Tao News Corporation for Sing Tao Daily, Investment Weekly.

Editorial awards: Newspaper Breaking News Article: gold– Al Nisr Publishing for Gulf News, End of a terrorist; silver– Post Media Co. for The Phnom Penh Post, Maid firm exposed; bronze– Financial Times for Financial Times, The Olympus Scandal.

Newspaper Feature Article: gold– Star Publications (Malaysia) for The Star, Jungle Book; silver– Singapore Press Holdings for The Straits Times, The Dragon’s Mighty Roar; bronze (two awards)– Singapore Press Holdings for The Straits Times, What Lies Beneath; and Mid Day Infomedia for Mid Day, Malnutrition Story.

Newspaper Infographics: gold– Muscat Press and Publishing House for Al Shabiba, The Great Fort of Nizwa; silver– South China Morning Post Publishers for South China Morning Post, 2011 in our own words; bronze– Al Bayan for Al Bayan Newspaper, Masdar City.

Magazine Infographics: gold–Al Nisr Publishing for Gulf News, How stuff works... Guitar; silver (two awards)– Al Nisr Publishing for Gulf News, How stuff works... Nuclear fuel waste; and E-Quill Media for Storm, The Class of Business; bronze– Business Media for Fortune India, How Apps make the world go round.

News Photography: gold– Malayala Manorama Company, photographer Salil Bera; silver– Malayala Manorama Company, photographer Sameer A Hameed; bronze– The Mainichi Newspaper Co, photographer Koichiro Tezuka.

Feature Photography: gold– The Associated Press (Pakistan), photographer Muhammed Muheisen; silver– HT Media, photographer Anup Gupta; bronze– The Associated Press (Pakistan) photographer Muhammed Muheisen.

Sports Photography: gold (two awards)– BeritaSatu Media Holdings photographer Boy T Harjanto; and Kompas Media Nusantara photographer Raditya Mahendra Yasa; silver– Kompas Media Nusantara photographer Agus Susanto; bronze (two awards)– Kompas Media Nusantara photographer Yuniadhi Agung; and Singapore Press Holdings photographer Mugilan Rajasegeran.

Newspaper Marketing: gold– Star Publications (Malaysia) for The Star, 40th Anniversary Campaign; silver– HT Media for Hindustan Times, No TV Day; bronze– South China Morning Post Publishers for South China Morning Post, Make Every Day Matter.

Best in community service: gold– Mid Day Infomedia for MiD Day, Smoke Free City;  silver– Star Publications (Malaysia) for Metro Central (The Star), Preserve Our Heritage Campaign; bronze (two awards)– Kompas Media Nusantara for

Kompas Daily, Volunteer in Action; and Malayala Manorama Company for Manorama Weekly, Three Social Responsibility Schemes.