SINGAPORE - For their work in inspiring environmentalism and raising awareness on issues from haze to waste, 18 media representatives received awards for their efforts at a ceremony on Thursday morning.

Among the winners was Singaporean photographer Douglas Ho, 25, from Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao. He clinched an award for a photograph he took of an incineration plant with a worker in the foreground.

Award winners received their trophies from Ms Grace Fu, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, during the annual Asian Environmental Journalism Awards ceremony at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel on Thursday.

Organised by the Singapore Environment Council, the awards programme is now in its third year. It aims to recognise and reward excellence in environmental journalism.

About 150 entries were received for this year's awards ceremony - a 78 per cent increase from 2013.

Said Ms Fu: "This year's awards showcase a diverse range of issues across Asian countries... The entries reflect the problems we share as citizens of the world."

The 18 winners were recognised in six different categories, ranging from promising young environmental journalists, to best environmental stories and international environmental photographs of the year - the category in which Mr Ho won a merit award.

Citizen journalism, too, was recognised under the Environmental Blogger Of The Year category. Two Singaporean bloggers, Ms Neo Meilin and Mr Anthony Quek, won merit awards under this category.

Other winners came from countries in the region, such as Cambodia, China and India.

The winning entries are on issues such as the longest-ever dry spell experienced in Singapore earlier this year, transboundary haze, people displaced by typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, and the impact of water and air pollution in China.