Post editor-in-chief Alan Parkhouse (l), Post multimedia editor Nikki Majewski, Post Media publisher Ross Dunkley (second from right) and Post Media director Bill Clough pose with the company’s SOPA awards.

An investigative report by The Phnom Penh Post won first prize at the influential SOPA (Society of Publishers in Asia) awards in Hong Kong on Thursday night.

With 11 international awards in four years, the Post continues to shine as the nation’s most influential newspaper with a highly coveted win for Excellence in Investigative Reporting, beating competitors such as The South China Morning Post, The Straits Times and The Jakarta Globe.

Post reporter David Boyle and photo editor Will Baxter won an award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for their story about illegal logging in the Cardamom Mountains.

Former photographer Sovan Philong received an honourable mention for Excellence in News Photography for his photo essay about an attempted eviction in Kampong Speu province.

Reporters David Boyle, Vong Sokheng and Phak Seangly also received an honourable mention for Excellence in Reporting on the Environment for a series about sand dredging in Koh Kong province.

There were almost 600 entries vying for prizes in the 17 categories. About 300 media executives and journalists from around the region attended the gala awards dinner.

And, in its inaugural attempt, the Post’s sister publication The Myanmar Times, took home a prestigious award for Excellence in Opinion Writing.

Post publisher and Myanmar Times editor-in-chief Ross Dunkley said the awards were a validation of the papers’ standing as the most professional publications in their respective countries.

“The Post and the Times set the pace for quality journalism in Cambodia and Myanmar. We impact on the sector in all sorts of ways, and most of the press set their benchmark against us,” he said.

“We have been instrumental in helping to alter the landscape of the media in the way newspapers are designed, laid out and the way newsrooms and media companies operate.

“For a long time, we have been producing incisive, influential newspapers that portray both countries as dynamic and undergoing exciting change. Our challenge is always to defend the right to transparency of information and to further forge the path of free media.”

Watch our video of SOPA 2012