Kuala lumpur: The Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) won three awards for its agri-food reporting at the Agrobank Media Awards 2026 here tonight.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Bernama Radio journalist Wan Nadia Khairani Wan Chik emerged champion in the Radio Media Award category with her report titled "From Lab to Dining Table: Exploring the Halal Issues, Potential and Challenges of Cultured Meat Innovation." Meanwhile, Features Desk journalist Nurul Isnaini Mohd Muslim secured second place in the Print Media and News Portal (Feature) category for her series "Genetics to Ensure Food Security." Muhammad Basir Roslan also claimed second place in the Agrobank Technology and Digital Journalism Award category with his report "The First Line of Food Security: Local Vaccines Transforming Malaysia's Poultry Industry."
Winners received RM5,000 while runners-up took home RM3,000, along with trophies and certificates. The awards, which recognise the media's role in strengthening the agriculture sector, were presented by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Chan Foong Hin. Also present were Agrobank president and chief executive officer Datuk Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin, Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) president Datuk Yong Soo Heong, MPI chief executive officer Dr Ainol Amriz Ismail, and Bernama Acting Deputy Editor-in-Chief for Economic News Services Harlina Samson.
In his speech, Chan emphasised the media's crucial role in shaping public understanding of agriculture, food security, and agri-food community development. "Through the Agrobank Media Awards, we recognise media practitioners who not only report the news but also explain issues, amplify community voices, and highlight the importance of the agriculture sector to society," he said.
Meanwhile, Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah noted that this year's awards introduced a new student category aimed at providing opportunities for young talents to present fresh perspectives on agriculture and food security. Reflecting on her achievement, Wan Nadia said she drew inspiration from her younger sibling's involvement in cultured meat research, which motivated her to highlight the subject in her report. "There is a lot of good research being conducted at universities but it often receives limited media attention," she said.
Muhammad Basir remarked that the main challenge in producing his award-winning report was translating complex technical terminology into language that readers could easily understand. "Many of the terms were challenging, but as journalists, we have to overcome such challenges," he said. A total of 138 entries were received for the Agrobank Media Awards 2026, which offered RM60,000 in prize money across various categories, including print, broadcast, and digital video.