## Journalism Awards 2024: Lifetime Achievement Winners 🏆

The 26th Edition of the Journalism Awards for Excellence will be held on January 20, 2026, at Mt. Lavinia Hotel. Five veterans have been named for the Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring decades of service to Sri Lanka’s media & communication sector. • Upali Tennakoon: Former Editor-in-Chief of Divaina. A founding member of Upali Newspapers (1981), he served as a key figure in the print media industry for over 50 years. He is an author and survivor of a high-profile 2009 assault on journalists. • Pushpa Ilangantilleke: A professional journalist with 45 years of experience. She broke barriers in women’s journalism as the Editor of Navaliya and held senior roles at Lake House, Rivira, and Lankadeepa. • R.A.E. Raman: A stalwart of Tamil literature and media for 60+ years. Known for his work in the Hill Country, he served as the Kandy Branch Manager for Thinakkural and is a recipient of the Kalabhushanam award. • Sa'adi Thawfeeq: Sri Lanka’s premier cricket writer with nearly 50 years in sports journalism. He is the only local journalist to cover over 200 Test matches, including historic milestones at Lord’s (1984, 2006, 2024). • Alexander Balasuriya: A veteran photojournalist with a career starting in 1977. He spent over 30 years at Wijeya Newspapers, contributing significantly to the visual history of publications like Lankadeepa.