This dramatic picture earned Kompas Daily an award for humanitarian story photography, one of three collected by the publisher at Monday’s WAN-Ifra Asia Media Awards in Singapore.

Photojournalist Adryan Yoga Paramadwya had to travel for a week to get the photo of a woman (actually his aunt) carrying a baby in a barrel across a floodwaters after bridges in Aceh were cut in December 2025.

The silver award was one of three honours for Kompas Gramedia, also winning silver for its Harian Kompas special edition programme in the ‘income diversification project’ category, with KG Media Products general manager Pratiwi Arizona named ‘young media leader of the year’.

Held in conjunction with the Asian Media Leaders Summit, the awards were presented at a dinner at Conrad Singapore Orchard.

The awards recognise outstanding achievements in journalism, visual storytelling, audience engagement, business innovation and media leadership. This year’s winners demonstrate the creativity, dedication and impact of the region’s news media, from reporting that brings important issues to light to initiatives that connect with communities and build sustainable businesses.

2026 winners by category

Young Media Leader of The Year– Ms Pratiwi Arizona, Principal Product Manager, KG Media, Indonesia.

Best Revenue Diversification Project:

Gold – SPH Media: The Car Expo 2026;

Silver – Kompas Daily Newspaper: Kompas Special Edition;

Small/Medium Media – DealStreetAsia: DealStreetAsia - Kickstart Ventures Conference Report.

Best Young Audience Initiative:

Gold ­– South China Morning Post: Young Post Club;

Silver ­– SPH Media, Thrive by The Business Times: Barely Thriving.

Best Community Service Project:

Gold – Konde.co: KEDIP: Justice Coalition for Indonesian Domestic Workers;

Silver – The Straits Times, SPH Media: Vaping: The Invisible Crisis;

Small/Medium Media ­– Sustina: Sustina Lab Workshops.

Best Advertising Initiative –

Gold – SPH Media, Content Lab: SG60: Past Present Future;

Silver – Mediacorp Brand Studio: Shaping Tomorrow: SG60;

🏅 Small / Medium Media – DealStreetAsia: Deals Intelligence - DealStreetAsia’s partnership with Donnelley Financial Solutions (DFIN).

Best News Photography –

Gold – South China Morning Post: Despair amid flames in Tai Po;

Silver – South China Morning Post: Calm amid the storm;

Small/Medium Media – The Japan Times: The day Japan’s glass ceiling finally cracked.

Best Lifestyle Photography –

Gold – Agence France-Presse: Japan cleaner goes viral with spa-like service for plushies;

Silver – The Straits Times, SPH Media: Paint Singapore red: Celebrating National Day with infrared photography;

Small/Medium Media – AsiaOne Online: Thaipusam From Dusk Till Daybreak.

Best Climate Photography –

Gold – The Straits Times, SPH Media: ‘Byte-size’ plants: Singapore Herbarium goes online;

Silver – Agence France-Presse: Floods in Aceh, Indonesia.

Best Human Interest Photography –

Gold – South China Morning Post: Subdivided lives;

Silver – Kompas Daily Newspaper: Flash Flood at Sumatera;

🏅Small/Medium Media – MERDEKA.COM: Resilient Indonesia: Humanity Beyond the Headlines.

Best Business and Financial News Story –

Gold – Agence France-Presse: India’s strategic $9 bn megaport plan for pristine island;

Silver – The Business Times, SPH Media: Cambodia scam scandal;

Small/Medium Media – DealStreetAsia: Private equity’s growing influence in Indian healthcare.

Best Technology News Story –

Gold – Nikkei Asia: The great breakup? How American and Chinese tech sectors are pulling away from each other;

Silver – The Japan Times: The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan

Small/Medium Media – Konde.co: Stop Tech Misogyny: the Series of Gender-Based Cyber Attacks in Indonesia.

Best Climate Impact Story –

Gold – The Straits Times, SPH Media: The thrill lasts seconds, the trash lasts forever;

Silver – The Straits Times, SPH Media: Floods, storms upended their lives in Bangladesh; Singapore gives them chance to rebuild;

Small/Medium Media – MERDEKA.COM: Beyond Waste: Human Stories from Jakarta's Frontline of Urban Climate Justice.

Best Health News Story –

Gold – The Straits Times, SPH Media: No quiet at home: The reality of living with Singapore’s traffic noise;

Silver – The Straits Times, SPH Media: Seniors caring for seniors: What caregiving looks like in a super-aged society;

Small/Medium Media – Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism: Behind Hospital Doors: Cleaning Ladies in Damascus Without Social Insurance or Legal Protection.

Best General News Infographics –

Gold – The Straits Times, SPH Media: Under the Red Light: A sex worker's story;

Silver – The Straits Times, SPH Media: 60 Singapore Objects;

Small/Medium Media – Arab News: Grendizer at 50.

Best Climate Infographics –

Gold – South China Morning Post: When a typhoon hits Hong Kong;

Silver – The Straits Times, SPH Media: The thrill lasts seconds, the trash lasts forever;

Small/Medium Media – Arab News: Greening the rooftops.

Best Health Infographics –

Gold – The Straits Times, SPH Media: Seniors caring for seniors: What caregiving looks like in a super-aged society;

Silver – The Straits Times, SPH Media: No quiet at home: The reality of living with Singapore’s traffic noise;

Small/Medium Media – Our Grandfather Story: What I Learnt About Life After My Friend Took Her Own.

Best Cover Design –

Gold – South China Morning Post: From ashes, strength;

Silver – Star Media Group: Life in plastic isn't fantastic;

Small/Medium Media – Media Indonesia: Gugur dalam Misi Perdamaian.

Pictured: Adryan Yoga Paramadwya; Pratiwi Arizona with WAN-Ifra’s Thomas Jacob and chief executive Stig Ørskov (photos Irene Sarwindaningrum/Kompas)