CNA's Budget calculator, deep dive on Malaysia's charcoal workers win at SOPA Awards
Both stories were recognised at the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards held in Hong Kong on Thursday.
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SINGAPORE: An interactive calculator to determine what a reader could receive from Singapore's Budget announcements in 2025 and a pictorially driven investigative look at Malaysia's charcoal workers won big at the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) Awards on Thursday (Jun 18).
The 2025 Budget calculator, developed by CNA's interactive team of Lee Long Hui, Lim Ling Lee, Kevin Kwang and Alvin Chong, clinched the regional award for Excellence in Journalistic Innovation, edging out competition from two other finalists by the Straits Times.
Similarly, CNA's Zamzahuri Abas was recognised for his work profiling the harsh conditions that Malaysia's charcoal workers endured to make a living, garnering the regional award for Excellence in Photography. The other contenders in this field were Hong Kong Free Press' coverage of the Tai Po fire and The Japan Times' look at the rising trend of dying alone in Japan.
The awards were given out during the SOPA Awards' gala dinner held in Hong Kong on Thursday.
"FRICTIONLESS USABILITY"
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The CNA interactives team approached the development of the Budget calculator from the reader's point of view: Amid all the announcements made, what does it mean for the man on the street?
With that in mind, the team created the framework and logic behind the calculator ahead of the actual Budget speech. The real challenge came on the day itself, when the team had to turn the announcements unveiled that very day into actionable insights for readers. Making sure the logic was sound, that most of the "goodies" revealed would go to the right demographic of people and testing the webpage to make sure it didn't break across multiple devices - and all within hours of when Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered the Budget.
SOPA's judges recognised this when it said the calculator "gets top marks for frictionless usability".
"It's impressive that it was refined and made available on the day of the (announcement). Its intuitive input/output is a pleasure to use and it looks great," the judges commented.
This proves that a small team can punch above its weight when delivering news in innovative ways, said CNA editor Lee Long Hui.
"Innovation and creativity aren't defined by team size and we showed that we can deliver high-quality work under a tight deadline," he said.
DEDICATION TO THE CRAFT
CNA visual journalist Zamzahuri Abas' dedication to telling a story that few people knew about was shown in his deep dive into the world of Malaysia's charcoal workers, and acknowledged by SOPA's judges.
They said that his work stood out because he chose to "inhabit the same choking, hazardous environment as the workers" instead of shooting them from afar. "Poignant," the judges concluded.
For Zamzahuri, though, the most memorable part of the project was being able to spend time listening to stories very few people know about. He told CNA that he would usually listen and try to fully understand the subject and their story before taking any photos.
His family, however, may remember Zamzahuri's dedication to his craft for a different reason.
"What made it even more interesting was that I was covered in smoke and smelled of it for several days, which made my family avoid getting close to me as they couldn't stand the smell,” he said.
CNA also won a gold for Best News Website or App Relaunch at the WAN-IFRA Digital Media Awards Asia 2026 in April. Its parent company, Mediacorp, has won two broadcaster of the year awards in 2026, at the New York Festivals (NYF) TV & Film Awards 2026 and the 2026 World Media Festivals Television & Corporate Media Awards.
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