Nagad, Bangladesh’s homegrown mobile financial service, will back the Dhaka Reporters Unity Best Reporting Award for 2026, marking its third collaboration with the journalists’ body.
The sponsorship was announced on 6 October at DRU’s Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium and will rename the prize the “Nagad‑DRU Best Reporting Award 2026”. The ceremony will honour work across 26 subject‑specific categories divided between print‑online and television‑radio, with two open‑category awards presented by the President of Bangladesh.
A ten‑member panel of senior journalists will evaluate entries submitted by DRU members for reports published or aired between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026. The deadline for submissions is 14 October.
DRU President Abu Saleh Akon said recognising top stories boosts journalism in the country. General Secretary Mynul Hasan Sohel highlighted Nagad’s rapid rise in the digital transaction market and its continued support for media excellence.
Nagad’s Chief Commercial Officer Mohummed Shahin Sarwar Bhuiyan called the partnership a way to encourage richer journalism, noting that reporters act as the “eyes of the state”. Senior Nagad officials, including the chief compliance officer and head of media, attended the press conference.
The collaboration follows Nagad’s initial involvement in 2021 and a renewed partnership in 2025, underscoring the mobile‑financial firm’s strategy to align its brand with public‑interest initiatives and strengthen its domestic reputation.
With the award slated for later this year, the Nagad‑DRU alliance aims to spotlight investigative work that can drive accountability and further embed quality reporting in Bangladesh’s media landscape.