AsiaOne wins Best Lifestyle Photography award at Asian Media Awards 2026 for Thaipusam photo story

AsiaOne clinched the award for Best Lifestyle Photography (Small/Medium Media) at the Asian Media Awards 2026, organised by the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The award was presented at a dinner at Conrad Singapore Orchard on Monday (Oct 26), held in conjunction with the Asian Media Leaders Summit 2026. The annual awards recognise outstanding achievements across Asia-Pacific in journalism, visual storytelling, audience engagement, business innovation, and media leadership.

AsiaOne received the award for its photo narrative titled Thaipusam From Dusk Till Daybreak, an immersive photo essay documenting the devotion, endurance and spiritual depth of Singapore's Hindu community during the annual festival.

Overcoming 'sensory overload' behind the lens

The award-winning photo story followed devotees along a 3.2km procession between Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on Serangoon Road and Sri Thendayuthapani Temple on Tank Road. Spanning over 10 hours from the night of Jan 31 into the late morning of Feb 1, AsiaOne photojournalist Dennis Palit embedded with participants.

Reflecting on the creative and personal challenges of capturing such an intense cultural spectacle, Palit said: "I think the main challenge really is being in a spot where I'm unfamiliar with.

"It was kind of a sensory overload seeing the preparations of Thaipusam behind the scenes. But my curiosity of this new environment kind of guided my vision."

By maintaining a balance between close observation and deep respect for the sacred rituals taking place, Palit captured the full emotional arc of the pilgrimage - from quiet preparations and moments of spiritual trance, to the collective support of family members and the conclusion at daybreak.

Bringing sacred moments beyond temple

Celebrated on the first full moon of the Tamil month of Thai, Thaipusam marks devotees' fulfilment of vows to Lord Murugan, the Hindu god of valour.

Such events offer opportunities for religious processions to move beyond the usual boundaries of religious sites and into the public.

AsiaOne's visual story resonated strongly with online audiences, generating over 40,000 views and 400 total interactions on Facebook. The award underscores AsiaOne's commitment to delivering rich, authentic visual journalism that spotlights local heritage and community stories.

AsiaOne 在世界新闻出版协会 (WAN-IFRA) 主办的 2026 年亚洲媒体奖中荣获最佳生活方式摄影奖（中小媒体）。

该奖项于周一（10月26日）在新加坡康莱德乌节酒店举行的晚宴上颁发，晚宴与2026年亚洲媒体领袖峰会同期举行。该年度奖项旨在表彰亚太地区在新闻、视觉叙事、受众互动、商业创新和媒体领导力方面的杰出成就。

AsiaOne凭借其名为《从黄昏到黎明的大宝森节》的摄影叙事作品获得了该奖项。这是一部沉浸式摄影散文，记录了新加坡印度教社区在一年一度的节日期间的虔诚、坚韧和精神深度。

克服镜头背后的“感官超载”

这组获奖摄影报道跟随信徒们走过了从实龙岗路上的斯里尼瓦沙佩鲁马尔寺到坦克路上的斯里丹达尤塔帕尼寺长达3.2公里的游行路线。从1月31日晚到2月1日上午，历时超过10个小时，AsiaOne摄影记者丹尼斯·帕利特与参与者们一同记录了这一过程。

帕利特在反思捕捉如此激烈的文化奇观所面临的创作和个人挑战时说：“我认为最大的挑战在于身处一个我不熟悉的地方。”

“看到大宝森节幕后的准备工作，感觉有点感官超载。但我对这种新环境的好奇心引导了我的视线。”

帕利特通过密切观察和对神圣仪式的深深敬意，捕捉到了朝圣之旅的完整情感历程——从安静的准备和精神恍惚的时刻，到家人的集体支持，再到黎明时的结束。

将神圣时刻带出寺庙之外

大宝森节在泰米尔历泰月的第一个满月日庆祝，标志着信徒们向印度教的英勇之神穆鲁干勋爵许下的誓言得以实现。

此类活动为宗教游行提供了机会，使其能够走出宗教场所的常规界限，走向公众视野。

AsiaOne的视觉故事在网络受众中引起了强烈反响，在Facebook上获得了超过4万次的浏览量和400次的互动。该奖项彰显了AsiaOne致力于提供丰富、真实的视觉新闻报道，聚焦本地文化遗产和社区故事的承诺。