ISLAMABAD, Dec 14: Journalists and advertisement agencies who won the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) awards for best performance received their awards at a ceremony here on Monday.

The APNS decided to start giving Akhbar Dost awards to agencies that have won highest number of business awards during the last two decades, 1982-2002. The 1st position went to S.H. Hashmi whose agency has won the first position in 17 awards held since the inception of the APNS award.

Mr Hashmi, a distinguished advertising practitioner, also received the Millennium Award of Life Time Achievement Award. The second highest Akhbar Dost business award during the last two decades was won by Tahir A. Khan of the Inter flow Communication.

The 3rd place for the business performance awards were shared by Anwar H. Rammal of Asiatic Advertising and Inam Akbar of Midas. The first position in this category went to Orient Advertising, Best Business Performance Award for the 17th time.

The 2nd position was won by Karim A. Ramal of the JWT Asiatic. The 3rd position was won by Tanvir Ahmed of Maxim Advertising Company. Midas won the Special Business Performance Award which is given to agencies based in places other than Karachi for the highest business placed in member publications. Nadeem Akbar of Midas received the award.

The Special Business awards are given to agencies placing highest business in Periodicals, Regional and Metro B publications. All the three awards were won by Orient Advertising. Masood Hashmi received award for periodical publication, Mahmood Hashmi for regional publications.

Sohail Kisat received award for metro B publications of the clients who have placed highest business in member publications of APNS. The 1st position went to Pakistan Telecom Mobile, Ufone, placed by Inter flow Communications. Tahir Khan received the award.

The 2nd position went to Election Commission of Pakistan placed by Orient. Kunwar Mohammad Dilshad, Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan received the award. Pakistan Telecommunications Company won the 3rd position for business placed through Midas. Asif Altaf received the award.

National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) won the product launch award for the highest business placed through Maxim Advertising during 2001-2002 for their campaign "Computerised ID Cards". Shahid Mukhtar received the award.

The panel of judges consisting of Riaz Mahmood, Javed Jabbar, Ziauddin Jeddi, in consultation of Haroon Basheer and Nazakat Bhatti decided the following creative awards to advertising agencies.

Best Visual Design (colour) Gold Award was received by Synergy Advertising for Bank Al-Falah. Ahmed Kapadia received the award. Best Visual Design (Colour) Silver award was received by Ahmed Kapadia on behalf of Synergy Advertising for Zak Pak ad 'Skin care you deserve'.

Best Visual Design (balck and white) Gold award was received by Orient Advertising for Pak Suzuki Motor ad 'Alto 1000 The Next Generation'. Asad Rizvi received the award.

Best Visual Design (black and white) Silver award was received by Awan Brand Communications for Dewan Farooq Motor ad 'Petrol ki badhti keemtain ab aapki raah main haail nahin'. Imran A. Awan received the award.

Best Copy Award (English), Gold was received by Adcom for Cabury Pakistan ad 'Oh no..... Time to go.' Imran Syed of Adcom received the award. Best Copy Award (English), Silver, was won by Spectrum Communications for Nado's ad 'At Iftar; Date with a Chick'. Shahnoor Ahmed received the award.

Best Copy Award (Urdu), Gold was won by Adcom for MCB, Rupee Traveller's Cheque ad 'Cash ho to Aisa'. Adnan Syed received the award. Best Copy (Urdu) Silver Award was received by Spectrum Communications for Citibank ad 'Hamarey saath aap bhi munh meetha kijey'. Ahmed Khizer Khan of Citibank received the award.

Public Service Campaign Gold Award was won by Inter flow Communications for Inter flow Public Service Department ad 'Bachcha wohi karta hai jo dekhta hai'. Gulrez Mojiz of Interflow received the award.

Public Service Campaign Silver Award was received by Prestige Communications for Habib Bank ad 'Your donation means an added heartbeat ... Jamal Mir received the award. Presidential Award for Public Relations was won by Dr Muhammad Tariq Bucha of The Image Builders, Lahore, for public relations.

JOURNALISM AWARDS: For the 16th APNS journalist awards, the panel of judges comprised Dr Mubarak Ali, Mr Farhad H. Zaidi, Mehtab Akber Rashidi, Secretary, Sindh Information, Prof Mateenur Rahman Murtaza, Mass Communications Department, Karachi University, Dr Shah Jehan Syed, Chairman, Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, Peshawar University, Seemeen Naghmana, Chairman, Mass Communications Department, Balochistan University, Justice (retired) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Dr Mugheesuddin Sheikh, Mass Communications Department, Punjab University, Baber Ayaz, Ameena Saiyid, Oxford University Press, Qamar Shahbaz, Shamsherul Haideri, Nooruddin Sarki Advocate, Serajul Haq Advocate, Prof Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Federal Urdu University, Karachi, Owais Aslam Ali, Monthly Economic Outlook, Karachi.

THE PANEL OF JUDGES SELECTED THE FOLLOWING AWARDS: For Best Investigative Report, Massoud Ansari of Monthly Newsline, best scoop Rauf Klasra of daily The News, Karachi, Best Column (English) I.A. Rahman, Monthly Newsline, Karachi, Best Column (Urdu) Orya Maqbool Jan, Jang, Quetta; Best Column (Regional Languages) Manzoor Jukhio, daily Ibrat, Hyderabad; best Feature (English) Shimaila Matri Dawood, monthly Newsline, Karachi; Best Feature (Urdu) Khalid Irshad, monthly Urdu Digest, Lahore; Best Feature (Regional Languages), Abdul Qadir Brohi, daily Awami Awaz, Karachi; Best Article (English), Zahid Hussain, monthly Newsline, Karachi; best Article (Urdu), Soofia Yazdani weekly Family, Lahore; Best Article (Regional Languages), Jami Chandio, daily Ibrat; Best Photograph, Haider Abbas Jaffari, daily Star, Karachi.

SPECIAL CITATIONS: Posthumous citation was given to the widow of late Syed Abid Ali in recognition of his services as public relation practitioner; Abdul Majid, monthly Air World, Karachi, for his services to the APNS; Haji Muhammad Idrees of Press Information Department, Islamabad, for his dedicated services to the APNS and the print media.

Key Journalist Award was given to Zofeen T. Ibrahim on her stories on reproductive health published in daily Dawn, Karachi.