SINGAPORE, March 26, 2007 – Singapore´s leading media group Singapore Press Holdings announces the launch of the third SPH Ink Awards, an annual competition honouring excellence in print advertising.

SPH is synonymous with print advertising in Singapore, and its long heritage within the advertising community puts it in a vantage position to initiate the first exclusively print creative awards. Started in 2005, the SPH Ink Awards reviews its structure every year and has added a new category this year - Classified Ads. The move highlights this popular form of advertising and makes the event more comprehensive.

The award, supported by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore, is notable for championing locally produced works. To encourage homegrown creativity, only entries that have been created and developed from scratch in Singapore are eligible. Entries deemed by the jury to be local adaptations of existing international material will be disqualified.

In addition, the spotlight on Chinese ads will be brighter, as there will be a separate category exclusively for ads that had appeared in SPH Chinese newspapers and magazines.

Mr Leslie Fong, Senior Executive Vice-President of SPH Marketing, said: “Creativity in print deserves recognition and reward. We are happy to provide that. SPH publications offer a plethora of advertising solutions, from display ads to classified ads. The new category is added in recognition of the creative work that leverages the print medium´s different capabilities.”

The awards will culminate in an industry-wide gala event in August 2007 where winners will be announced. Winning advertisements will be featured in SPH publications, with credits given to the winning agencies.

The top prize is $10,000, a crystal trophy and a full page advertising space in SPH´s flagship newspapers The Straits Times or Lianhe Zaobao. Almost 200 entries were received last year, of which 41 were picked to be finalists by a judging panel made up of independent industry veterans.
Last year´s judge and winner Robert Gaxiola, who was behind the Baygon ad campaign by SC Johnson & Son and is now executive creative director, Bates Singapore, said: "Marketing and communications managers will definitely benefit from looking at the ads submitted. The SPH Ink Awards is important for Singapore. It shows we are progressing as a creative community.”

Indeed, a progressive industry deserves a solid call-for-entry ad campaign from SPH Ink Awards, especially since last year´s call-for-entry ads won Best Campaign in Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association (PANPA) newspaper advertising awards.

This year, a series of newspaper ads to publicise the launch, created by SPH´s in-house Creative Services team, plays on the words “in” and “ink”, challenging advertisers, ad and media agencies to get ink-to the contest or lose out. [see picture attached]

So, are you Ink or out?



For entry forms, visit http://www.asiaone.com.sg/inkawards. All entries should be sent to SPH Ink Awards 2007, c/o the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Singapore, 158 Cecil Street #06-04, Dapenso Building Singapore 069545

Issued by Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
Co. Regn. No. 198402868E

For enquiries, please contact:

Ms Janice Wong
SPH Ink Awards Committee 2007
DID: 6319-1274
Email: janicew@sph.com.sg

Adrian Cheong
Assistant Manager
Corporate Communications Division
Singapore Press Holdings Ltd
DID: 6319 2261
Email: cheongcy@sph.com.sg

About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Newspapers and Magazines
Main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) is the leading media company in Singapore, delivering news and information through print, Internet and broadcasting platforms. In Singapore, it publishes 14 newspapers in four languages. Every day, 2.7 million individuals or 83 percent of people above 15 years old, read one of SPH’s news publications. SPH also publishes over 90 magazine titles in Singapore and the region, covering a broad range of interests from lifestyle to information technology.

Internet and Mobile
Beyond print, the Internet editions of SPH newspapers enjoy over 100 million pageviews with 6 million unique visitors every month. SPH’s online and new media initiatives include a revolutionary mobile advertising and information service, ZapCode; recruitment and job search service, ST701; and STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print), a portal that connects, engages and interacts with readers on the Web and via mobile phone messaging.

Broadcasting
SPH has a 20 percent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8, U and TV Mobile, and a 40 percent stake in MediaCorp Press Pte Ltd, which publishes the free newspaper, Today. In the radio business, SPH has a 80 percent stake in SPH UnionWorks Pte Ltd, which operates entertainment stations Radio 100.3 in Mandarin and Radio 91.3 in English.

Outdoor Advertising
In addition, SPH has ventured into outdoor advertising through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SPH MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd, Singapore´s largest outdoor motion display advertising network media company, and a 35 percent stake in TOM Outdoor Media Group, a leading outdoor advertising company in China.

Properties
SPH owns and manages Paragon, the prime retail and office complex in the heart of Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping belt. SPH’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Times Development Pte Ltd, is also developing a 43-storey upmarket residential condominium, Sky@eleven, at Thomson Road.