The Nepal Television chapter of the Federation of Nepali Journalists has awarded the Hem-Sunil Risky Television Journalism Award 2024 to three Kantipur journalists who did a field reporting from the war-torn Israel last year, and a team of NTV Kohalpur-based journalists who reported from the remote base camp of Api Himal in Darchula. The awards were presented on Monday.

The prize carries a cash reward of Rs100,000. During a programme held at the Nepal Television office in Kathmandu, Minister for Communications, Information, and Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, handed over the awards to Kantipur reporter Hom Karki, video journalist Shyam Shrestha, and photojournalist Prakash Chandra Timilsena, as well as NTV journalists Durga Bhatta and cameraperson Bipin Srivastava.

The award was established in memory of Nepal Television journalists Hemraj Bhandari and Sunil Singh, who died in a helicopter crash in Ghunsa on September 23, 2006. The award has been presented annually on the date since 2007. The crash claimed the lives of 24 environmental experts, including noted Nepali geographer Dr Harka Gurung.

Dharmendra Jha, executive chair of the Rastriya Samachar Samiti and member of the award selection committee, lauded the journalists' endeavour and remarked, “The field reporting of the Israel-Hamas war proves that Nepali journalists are fully capable of reporting on international conflicts as well. This is a milestone accomplished in the history of Nepali journalism."

Earlier on Sunday, the three Kantipur journalists–Karki, Shrestha and Timilsent–were awarded by Nepal Press Council for their frontline reporting of the Israel-Hamas war last year.