China Daily Hong Kong clinched 12 accolades at this year’s prestigious Hong Kong News Awards, bringing its all-time total to 153.

The accolades include three championships, two first runners-up and three second runners-up across seven categories, among them Best Business News Report, Best News Writing (English), Best Business News Writing (English) and Best Photograph (Sports).

Reporter Shadow Li’s story, “Tai Po fire: Heroes in harm’s way” — which drew on intimate interviews with firefighters to chronicle their frontline ordeal and unexpected gestures of warmth amid devastation — earned her top place in the Best News Writing (English).

Third place in the category went to Li Lei. His award-winning story features several patriotic Hong Kong families who joined Communist Party of China-led guerrillas to liberate the city from Japanese invaders during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).

“I learned that Hong Kong was never absent from that conflict; it sheltered patriotic Chinese mainland intellectuals from the ravages of war,” Li said, “and I believe it’s a chapter of wartime history that has not been told enough.”

Reporter Li Xiaoyun landed second place in Best Business News Reporting for “Real-World Crypto”, a probing look at Hong Kong’s burgeoning digital-asset market. Meanwhile, the third runner-up in the category was claimed by a space economy series, a collaborative effort by Luo Weiteng and Chen Yuexi. Luo also pocketed the second runner-up prize in Best Business News Writing (English).

Zhou Mo secured a merit in Best Business News Reporting with a series focusing on the potential of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.

Chong Chun-pong was doubly rewarded in the Best Photograph (Sports) category, taking home the champion and a merit trophy for his empowering sports imagery of the Hong Kong women’s rugby sevens team at the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, and the men’s handball squad at the 15th National Games.

Chong said he saw the recognition also as one for the sports team, whose “raw energy, striving spirit deserved as much credit as his camera work”.

“I’m deeply honored to win the prize. And Hong Kong team, keep it up!”

The newsroom’s veteran copydesk clinched the champion in Best Headline (English), while Chitralekha Basu brought home first runner-up in category with “Can Cantonese tones fit into the Western canon?”.

The page-design duo Mok Kwok-cheong and Billy Wong pocketed a merit in Best News Page Design (Single Page). The pair, adding Dong Kai, won another merit in Best News Page Design (Series).

The annual Hong Kong News Awards, organized by The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong, presented 78 prizes this year.

Contact the writer at gangwen@chinadailyhk.com