The 26th Consumer Rights Reporting Awards

Background

Established in 2001, the Consumer Rights Reporting Awards (CRRA) is a prestigious annual event organised by the Consumer Council with the aim of encouraging the media industry to identify and highlight newsworthy issues relating to consumer rights. By recognising high-quality journalism that advocates and promotes consumer protection policies, CRRA’s ultimate goal is to raise public awareness on consumer rights and empower consumers to safeguard their own interests.

Award Categories

Awards will be presented in the following 9 categories:

• (1) Written Journalism Award
• (2) Audio Reporting Award
• (3) Video Reporting Award (Short Clip – 5 minutes or under)
• (4) Video Reporting Award (Long Clip – over 5 minutes)
• (5) News Photography Award
• (6) Investigative Reporting Award
• (7) Tertiary Student Journalism Award
• (8) Best Use of Social Media in Consumer Advocacy Award
• (9) Topical Reporting Award 2025 – Protecting the Consumer Rights of the Silver Generation

In addition to the above categories, a special award will also be presented:

• The 26th CRRA Top Honour: To be selected among the Gold Awards entries of 7 categories (excluding the “Best Use of Social Media in Consumer Advocacy Award” and “Topical Reporting Award”) by the adjudication panel.

The topic for the Topical Reporting Award 2026 is “Confidence and Protection in Cross-Border Consumption”. Participants can submit entries during the application period of the next CRRA in 2027.

• Following the trend reflected in the Topical Reporting Award 2024 themed “Consumer Rights Beyond Boundaries”, cross-border consumption has become even more deeply embedded in consumers’ everyday lives by 2026. Whether purchasing overseas goods online or travelling to the Mainland or abroad for leisure, shopping or medical services, consumers are now presented with an increasingly diverse range of choices. However, variations in consumer protection laws, complaint‑handling mechanisms and product safety standards across regions have inevitably created challenges in ensuring adequate protection and coordination. Striking the right balance between convenience and safety, and establishing a robust cross-border consumption support mechanism, has therefore become a key priority in strengthening regional cooperation and bolstering consumer confidence.
• Relevant topics: handling of cross-border consumption complaints, online product safety, northbound consumption, cross-border medical services, and cross-border consumer protection.

Participation Eligibility

• Participating media must have a primary audience or readership based in Hong Kong, and have their main business operations based locally.
• Journalists employed by print, broadcast and web-based media in Hong Kong, as well as freelance contributors of news reports, are eligible to participates. Entries may be submitted by journalists in their personal capacity, with consents obtained from the media outlets to which the works belong, or by media organisations on their behalf.
• Online media must be engaged primarily in news reporting and public affairs (except for the “Best Use of Social Media in Consumer Advocacy Award”), and disseminating information to the public and publish news content at least 5 days a week. Both independently operated news websites and websites affiliated with print or broadcast media organisations are qualified. Online media may submit news reports previously published on their websites for entry in respective categories.
• Each entry in Categories (1) to (8), and each participating media outlet/channel in Category (9), may be submitted either by an individual or by a team. A team entry may include up to 10 members.

Category-specific Requirements

Entries must also comply with the respective additional requirements of each category:

• (1) Written Journalism Award
  • Only text-based news reports will be accepted.
• (2) Audio Reporting Award
  • Only news reports using audio broadcast as the medium will be accepted.
• (3) Video Reporting Award (Short Clip — 5 minutes or under)
  • Only video news reports of 5 minutes or below will be accepted.
• (4) Video Reporting Award (Long Clip — over 5 minutes)
  • Only video news reports of more than 5 minutes andup to 1 hour will be accepted.
• (5) News Photography Award
  • Entries must be original news photography works.
  • The original published layout or page design must be submitted.
  • AI-generated and composite images or photographs that have undergone extensive retouching will not be accepted; basic cropping and tonal adjustments are allowed.
• (6) Investigative Reporting Award
  • News reports may be in text, video, or audio form.
• (7) Tertiary Student Journalism Award
  • Only students enrolled at local universities or tertiary institutions may enter.
  • Entries may be in text, video, or audio form, and must have been published in a campus publication or campus media.
• (8) Best Use of Social media in Consumer Advocacy Award
  • News and lifestyle media (including their affiliated content channels) operating a Facebook page and/or Instagram account and meeting the following criteria may submit a set of posts published on any of these 2 platforms to compete for this category:
    • The target audience of the page/account is primarily Hong Kong readers;
    • The page and/or account was established before 1 January 2023 and remains active with updates within the 4 weeks preceding 12 March 2026; and
    • As at 12 March 2026, the Facebook page has at least 110,000 followers, and the Instagram account has at least 27,500 followers. 
  • Participating media/channels must submit 5 posts (either on Facebook or Instagram) published between 1 January and 31 December 2025 (both dates inclusive), demonstrating their sustained, creative and effective use of content provided by the Consumer Council—such as product tests, researches or reports, or complaint cases—to promote consumer rights during the year.
  • Submitted posts may comprise text, image, video or audio.
  • Each participating media outlet/channel can only submit 1 set of posts; repeated or multiple submissions will not be accepted.
  • Submissions containing posts sponsored by commercial organisations, or posts of a commercial‑promotion or advertising nature, will not be accepted.
  • Submissions will also not be accepted if the posts involve lucky draws or any form of rewards aimed at boosting engagement, or if users are required to like, comment or share in order to view the content.
  • The participating media/channels must ensure that the links to the submitted posts remain valid throughout the assessment period; otherwise, the submission may be deemed invalid.
• (9) Topical Reporting Award
  • Entries may be in text, video, or audio form.

Other Notes for Entrants

• Entries must have been published and disseminated to the public through print, broadcast, online media or wire services, in either Chinese or English.
• Entries must have been first published or broadcast between 1 January and 31 December 2025 (both dates inclusive).
• For Categories (1) to (7), each entry may only be submitted to one category (excluding the Topical Reporting Award).  An entry which integrates a variety of presentation formats, for example, video, audio or photography, shall count as one entry.
• Entries from Categories (1) to (4) and (6) that align with the 2025 thematic topic may also compete for the Topical Reporting Award.
• Entries in Categories (1) to (4) and (6) may be submitted as a “series” of reports; however, if entered as a series, all items must revolve around a consistent theme.

Entry Submission Requirements

• Entrants must complete the online application form below and upload the electronic file(s) of their entries as instructed to complete the submission procedure:
  • Application Form for the “Best Use of Social Media in Consumer Advocacy Award”: https://ccchoice.org/crraappli26b
  • Application Form for all other categories (including written journalism, audio reporting, video reporting, news photography, investigative reporting, tertiary student journalism and topical reporting): https://ccchoice.org/crraappli26a
• Entrants must submit their entries according to the instructions on the application form and name the electronic file(s) as follows:
  • For the work itself:
    • “CRRA_26th_Publishing Media Name_Title of Entry”
  • For the transcript file or other files:​​​​
    • “CRRA_26th_Publishing Media Name_Title of Entry_Transcript”
• For entries from online media/channels, entrants must ensure that the links to the submitted works remain valid throughout the assessment period; otherwise, the submission may be deemed invalid.
• Entrants must remove or obscure any non-entry content appearing in the submission—such as unrelated reports or advertisements——and must provide high-definition or high-resolution entry files.
• All files must be uploaded on or before the submission deadline (24 April 2026); otherwise, the submission shall be regarded as invalid.

• Once the entry form is submitted, information such as number of participants, names and the title of the entry cannot be modified.
• Information in the entry forms may be used for production of ceremony-related materials, including but not limited to trophies, certificates, exhibition panels, awards list videos and press materials, etc.
• Please complete and submit one entry form for each entry (except the “Topical Reporting Award”).
• All submissions will be reviewed to ensure compliance with Participation Eligibility, Entry Criteria and Entry Submission Requirements. Any non-conforming submissions may be rejected by the Council at its absolute discretion and will not proceed to the judging process.
• Journalists and media organisations submitting the entries on their behalf are required to make the Declaration provided on the entry form.  The Consumer Council may require participants to make individual Declarations.

Entry Deadline

24 April 2026

Judging Process

Judging will be conducted in 3 stages —initial screening, preliminary judging and final judging—which will take place in May, June to July and September 2026 respectively.

Judging Criteria

• Entries, regardless of format, writing style and presentation, will be adjudicated based on a consistent set of criteria. Entries must comply with the Participation Eligibility and adhere to the professional principles of journalism, namely integrity, accuracy, objectivity and transparency.
• Entries must be original journalistic works and related to consumer issues in Hong Kong.

Adjudication Panel

The adjudication panel comprises representatives from the Consumer Council, professional organisations,academics in journalism, and media and communications veterans as follows:

• Ms. May Chan, Chairman, Journalism Education Foundation & Vice-chairperson, Hong Kong News-Expo
• Prof. Peter Kwan, Treasurer, Journalism Education Foundation
• Mr. Wong Wing Hang, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong News-Expo
• Prof. Ronald Chiu, Associate Dean, School of Communication, The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
• Prof. Francis Lee, Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Dr. Kaman Lee, Assistant Vice President, Hong Kong Shue Yan University
• Mr. Pun Wai Lam, Associate Professor of Practice, Department of Journalism, School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University
• Dr. Tracy Lee, Associate Registrar, Head of Department of Journalism and Communication, Hong Kong Chu Hai College
• Ms. June Teng, Corporate Communication Veteran
• Ms. Catherine Choi, Corporate Communication Veteran
• Ms. Trinni Choy, Media Veteran
• Ms. Fanny Fung, Media Veteran
• Mr. Kyrus Siu, Director, The Social Investment Consultancy in Greater China
• Dr. Hugo Chan, Associate Dean (China), ​SBS Swiss Business School​
• Mr. Clement Chan, Chairman, Consumer Council
• Mr. Tony Pang, Chairman of Committee on Sustainability, Public Affairs and Education, Consumer Council
• Ms. Isabella Lau, Co-opted Member of Committee on Sustainability, Public Affairs and Education, Consumer Council
• Dr. Alaina Shum, Chief Executive, Consumer Council

Public Voting

• The 2 categories—“News Photography Award” and “Tertiary Student Journalism Award” —will be open for public voting.
• The adjudication panel will shortlist 5 entries from each category, which shall be subject to public voting on an online voting platform to be established by the Consumer Council.
• The score of the adjudication panel shall account for 70% and public vote shall account for 30% of the total score.

Awards

• Each category presents Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards (except for the "the 26th CRRA Top Honour" and “Topical Reporting Award”).
  • Gold Award: HK$5,000 cash prize and a certificate
  • Silver Award: HK$3,000 cash prize and a certificate
  • Bronze Award: HK$1,000 cash prize and a certificate
• The 26th CRRA Top Honour: the winner will receive a trophy and a  HK$15,000 cash prize.
• Topical Reporting Award: the winner will receive a trophy and a HK$15,000 cash prize.

Other Rules and Terms of Participation

• The winners will be announced at the prize presentation ceremony held in the fourth quarter of 2026. The Council will notify the winners of the arrangement for the prize presentation ceremony in due course.
• If an entry is submitted by or on behalf of a group of entrants, the award for such entry shall be made to the entrants as a team.
• The Council reserves the right of final interpretation of the Participation Eligibility, Entry Criteria, Entry Submission Requirements and Other Rules and Terms of Participation and final decision-making on all matters relating to the event, and the absolute discretion to reject or disqualify any entry or participation in the event. The Council also has the right to at any time vary these rules and terms, the judging process and criteria, or to suspend or terminate the event (or any part thereof, including in relation to any category). The Council shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from such variation, suspension or termination. In the event of any dispute, the Council’s decisions shall be final and binding on all entrants.
• The Council reserves the right not to make any award in any category if the adjudication panel decides that none of the entries meets the required standards for an award.  Decisions of the judges shall be final. Participants must ensure that their entries are original, must not plagiarize or infringe any third party copyrights or rights, and must fully comply with the laws and regulations of Hong Kong (including but not limited to the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the National Security Law, the Copyright Ordinance, the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance, and the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance).
• The Council shall not be liable for and does not assume any legal liability, obligation or responsibility for any direct or indirect loss, damages, costs, expenses, disputes or claims whatsoever and howsoever arising directly or indirectly from or in connection with the 26th Consumer Rights Reporting Awards. Entrants shall bear all legal responsibility arising from their works and the Council shall not be held liable for any legal disputes.

These rules and terms shall be governed by the laws of the Hong Kong SAR. In case of any conflict or discrepancy between the English version and Chinese versions, the Chinese version shall prevail.

Enquiries

Organiser: Consumer Council

Tel: 2856 8569 (William Chan)

WhatsApp Hotline: 5688 8611

Email: crra@consumer.org.hk