The Straits Times bagged eight awards at the Singapore Press Holdings' annual English/Malay Newspaper Division awards held on Thursday at its News Centre in Toa Payoh North.

Deputy news editor and former China bureau chief Peh Shing Huei won the Journalist of the Year award, while housing reporter Rachel Chang was named the Young Journalist of the Year.

Health correspondent Salma Khalik nabbed the Story of the Year award for her article "Docs upset over HSA safety rule", which canvassed doctors' views on a new rule requiring all medical devices in Singapore to be registered with the Health Sciences Authority.

The Straits Times also won both the News Picture with Chew Seng Kim's photograph to accompany the news article "WP faces allegations of dishonesty" and Feature Picture of the Year from Nuria Ling for "Hari Raya happiness".

The Commentary/Analysis of the Year was given to Life!'s John Lui for his commentary on hip eateries.

Reporters Christopher Tan, Maria Almenoar, Royston Sim, Ng Kai Ling and Toh Yong Chuan won a special award for excellence for their stories on the SMRT bus drivers who went on strike. Political reporters Jeremy Au Yong, Aaron Low, Tessa Wong, Andrea Ong and Goh Chin Lian bagged the same award for their stories from Singapolitics' Ask the PM project.

The New Paper took five awards in total, including all three design awards - Layout and Page Design, Illustration and Infographics of the Year. Its reporter Chai Hung Yin also won the Feature of the Year for her two-part series of stories about a man who donated his kidney to a stranger.

Newspapers Berita Harian and The Business Times each won a special award for editorial excellence.