Four journalists, including NTV senior correspondent Ashiqur Rahman Chowdhury, were awarded with Tobacco Control Journalism Award-2015 for reporting investigative stories on anti-tobacco issues.

Anti-tobacco campaigner PROGGA and Anti Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) jointly conferred the award to the journalists at a programme in BIAM auditorium in Dhaka on Thursday.

The programme was organised to celebrate the World No Tobacco Day 2015, which is set to be observed on May 31.

The award recipients were selected under four categories.

The award recipients are - NTV senior correspondent Ashiqur Rahman Chowdhury (broadcast journalism category), The Daily Star Lalmonirhat correspondent S Dilip Roy (print media -English), Daily Janakantha staff reporter SM Hamiduzaman (print media -Bangla), and Sylhet’s Daily Jalalabad staff reporter Abu Bakar Siddik (regional print media).

Each of the four received a cheque of Tk 50,000, an award plaque, and a certificate for their outstanding anti-tobacco reports.

An 11 member judge panel, including Dhaka University vice chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Boishakhi Television chief executive officer Manzurul Ahsan Bulbul, UBINIG executive director Farida Akhter, PROGGA executive director ABM Zobayer, and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids consultant Shariful Alam scrutinized the news reports for awards.

Presided over by Daily Shokaler Khabor editor Mojammel Hossain, the programme was also attended by Jhenaidah-3 constituency lawmaker Nobi Newaz, Association for the Prevention of Drug Abuse (MANAS) president Arup Ratan Choudhury, and ATMA co-convener Nadira Kiron.