Song Yingwen

ywennsong@hotmail.com

A DIVERSE group of individuals, grassroots organizations, celebrity vloggers, and media outlets were honored for their outstanding online videos and narratives showcasing positive internet influences at the Civic Center in Futian District on Monday.

Shenzhen Daily was among the recipients, winning two awards in the audio/video and feature story categories.

The 2023 Shenzhen Internet Civilization Conference, coordinated by the city’s cyberspace affairs administration and the Office for Guiding Cultural and Ethical Progress, presented over 50 awards across six categories to content creators.

Shenzhen Daily’s multilingual series, “Pursuing Dreams in GBA,” featuring Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, earned recognition as one of the top 10 feature stories.

Crafted by Shenzhen Daily reporters Chen Xiaochun and Lin Jianping, the series, presented through text, photos, and videos, previously clinched the second prize at the 2022 Shenzhen Journalism Awards and an Outstanding Prize at the “My China Story of the Greater Bay Area” International New Media Products Competition.

The winning video titled “Discover Shenzhen,” filmed by Shenzhen Daily journalists Liu Xudong and Wang Haolan in 2022, delves into Shenzhen’s biodiversity, showcasing the perspective of Isaac Cohen, a Colombian biologist then teaching at an international school in the city. The video is a second-prize winner at the COP15 Creative Short Video Competition organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment in 2022 and also won first prize at the 2022 Shenzhen Journalism Awards.

During yesterday’s event, 10 individuals were designated as “Distinguished Netizens,” while another five were named “Zhen Youth,” aka young promoters of cultural-ethical progress on the internet. These honorees, spanning roles from educators and community workers to firefighters and internet influencers, have been instrumental in fostering confidence, disseminating truth, and combating misinformation online.

Among the Distinguished Netizens is Píotr Lukasz Blaszak, a Polish content creator and one of Shenzhen’s Global Communication Ambassadors. He received this accolade for his active role in cultivating mutual communication between Shenzhen and Europe via social media platforms.

Expressing gratitude for the acknowledgment, Blaszak, 30, remarked, “I am honored to receive the title. I feel that my efforts in spreading the good message of Shenzhen have been seen, noticed, and rewarded.”

Blaszak embarked on a digital journey sharing glimpses of his life in Shenzhen through social media channels in July 2021 and has since become a dynamic force in the online community. His active engagement led to his selection as one of the 25 expats invited to join the Shenzhen Global Communication Ambassador Program launched by Shenzhen Daily and EyeShenzhen this June.

In August this year, on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Blaszak visited Poznań, the fifth-largest city in Poland and a sister city of Shenzhen. He interviewed Jacek Jaśkowiak, the mayor of Poznań, as well as Iwona Matuszczak-Szulc, the city’s director of City Development and Foreign Affairs, aiming to delve deeper into their perspectives on Shenzhen.

He extended his conversations to locals and friends in different European cities, sharing insights on Shenzhen through his personal experiences. “My videos have sparked the interest of many friends about Shenzhen, both virtually and in person. I am privileged to play a part in promoting the city’s positive image,” Blaszak said.

Having called Shenzhen home for nine years, Blaszak, who now owns an office in a high-rise building in the center of Qianhai, expressed a sense of fulfillment and a desire to give back to the city.

The conference also announced the establishment of a research center at Shenzhen University to promote cultural and ethical progress on the internet, alongside the inauguration of an online voting campaign for selecting popular landmarks in Shenzhen.