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Higher standards and bigger challenges evident at prize ceremony organised by the Guardian and partners A horrifying investigation of a toxic spill from China ‘s biggest gold mining company was among the winners at the second China environmental press awards on Wednesday. Investigations of solar panel subsidies and corporate greenwashing were also recognised with prizes as Chinese journalists reflected on the challenges and changes facing their coverage of arguably the world’s worst environmental crisis. The awards, which were launched last year , are jointly organised by the Guardian, chinadialogue and Sina , the leading Chinese web portal. The increased quantity and quality of story submissions reflected another tumultuous year for the Chinese environment , which was buffetted by outbreaks of heavy metal poisoning, the Dalian oil leak, river pollution and over-exploitation of resources. Yang Chuanmin of Southern Metropolitan Daily won the in-depth investigation award for the second year in a row, firmly establishing herself as one of China’s environmental journalists. Her report on a toxic spill from Zijin Mining – China’s biggest gold mining company – ripped apart the company’s claim to “Double Excellence” in balancing economic gains and environmental protection. The full article is here , but you can get a taste of the grim landscape and its dire health implications in the following two extracts: “The village secretary, Huang Jingxin, said: “Your hands start to itch as soon as you come into contact with the river water.” Even the colour of the Ting River scares them. When there is no wind or rain the water is green. But when it rains heavily, sediment from the bottom of the river is brought up and the water turns into a rusty sunset colour.” “Ten years of mining has turned Yueyang into a ‘cancer village’. There are more than 3,000 people living in the three administrative villages of the Yueyang area. In the past five years, about 60 to 70 cancer patients have died in these villages, many of them married couples or siblings. The youngest cancer patient is only 18 years old. Southern Metropolis Daily obtained a detailed case list. The most common causes of death were stomach cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer and liver cancer. Yuan Ying won the award for most influential report with an expose of shortcomings in the state’s solar energy subsidy program that prompted the government to shift direction. Yuan said she received irate calls from senior officials who were upset that she had cast them in an embarrassing light. “They should not blame the report. My aim is to improve the industry.” Liu Jianqiang, a veteran journalist who led the judging panel as a representative of chinadialogue, noted that all but one of the 14 short-listed stories adopted a critical tone. He said these types of report played an increasingly constructive role in society. “When I started writing, it was impossible for environment stories to get on the front page, but now they do,” he said. “I’ve come to realise that coverage of the environment can make a bigger impact and result in more positive change than the usual stories about crime.” Selection was difficult because of the depth of good entries. I found it particularly tough. My language skills are regrettably not up to the task of assessing the quality of the writing, which I left to my two Chinese fellow judges. Instead – with the help of my research assistant and friends – I focussed on the detail of the investigations, the strength of the impact and the originality of the approach. The country is catching up not just with ecological awareness, but also dubious “greenwashing” marketing campaigns. One of the most highly praised award winners was a humorous investigation of a paper company’s claim to be improving the environment by adding non-biodegradable plastic to its products. Off the usual track of pollution and climate, the judges added an award this year for the best human interest story, which was won by an empathetic profile of a bird-watching Tibetan monk. The writer, Geng Dong spent months researching this piece. He said his aim was to make readers reflect on their views of wildlife. “The lama had a very different relationship with nature than that of someone from a conventional education system. His observations of birds were both distinct and remarkable. I wanted to pose the question whether his way of seeing was best or ours.” Each of the five main prizes was worth 8,000 renminbi (about 800 pounds), while nine runners up received 2,000rmb. Peter Preston, co-director the Guardian Foundation, which provides most of the funds, said he was encouraged by the development of the award : “It’s tremendously exciting to see expert, vivid and independent environmental journalism develop so swiftly in China – and a pleasure to help sponsor a contest which demonstrates rising standards and rising awareness so clearly”. The winners highlight the longstanding strength of the Southern newspaper group based in Guangdong and the pioneering role played by a handful of investigative magazines. But the media industry is undergoing a transformation. During the ceremony and following discussions, participants described changes in tastes and technology that will challenge conventional news gathering and reporting. The event was cosponsored by Sina, the nation’s biggest web portal and the host of the Weibo microblog – China’s twitter, which is an increasingly influential source of news. Sina representative, Zhou Xiaopeng said the company hoped to boost its role in green issues. “We want to use Weibo to build a circle for people interested in the environment. Our hope is that this turn into an influential forum.” As elsewhere in the world after the Copenhagen conference, the appetite for climate related stories also appears to have waned in China. “It became harder last year to interest editors and readers in stories about climate change so I’m focussing more on renewable technology,” said Yuan of Southern Weekly. Hopefully, the awards will continue to highlight and encourage different approaches. Translations of the winning stories will appear on chinadialogue and select ones will be republished on the Guardian Environment Network. Top prize winners: Best investigative report Paper Made From Stone, An Uproarious Myth of Environmental Protection By Lu Zongshu, Southern Weekly Best in-depth report (two winners) 1) Zijin’s poisoned legacy By Yang Chuanmin Southern Metropolitan Daily 2) The Alarm from Zhouqu By Gong Jing, Wang Heyan, Zhang Ruidan,New Century Weekly Best human interest story Bird Watching Lama In Nianbao Yuze By Geng Dong, Shanshui Conservation Centre Most influential report The Green, Twisted “Golden Sun” Project: Questioning the Support Policy For The Photovoltaic Industry By Yuan Ying, Southern Weekly China Pollution Mining Water Energy Solar power Renewable energy Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk