Journalism Awards for Excellence 2025: Lifetime Achievement Award winners

Asoka Goonetilleke

Asoka Goonetilleke commenced his journalistic career in Lake House in 1976 and after serving on the Central News Desk and in the foreign news desk, he left in 1982. During this period, he also served on the Observer, feature write on the Yovun, Janatha and Editorial news reporter in Janatha newspaper. He joined Upali Newspapers in 1982 as the Sports Editor of the Divaina and rose to the position of Associate Editor when he left in 2013.

He has contributed articles to the FIFA and AFC football magazines, the Dawn (Bangladesh) and Calcutta Times (India). He has translated to Sinhala language from English language several books. Among them - An Adventurous Voyage to the Sea (Mahamuhuda Meda -Maranaya Abhiyasa), and The Black Dragon (Kalu Makara). He has also translated books from Sinhala language to English language - What Makes the Buddha Great, Impermanence in Plain English – both books were written by The Most Rev. Henepola Gunaratane.

He has been a lecturer and served in the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, School of Sports Sciences (Sports Ministry) National Course Director - Sri Lanka and the International Olympic Committee. He has also worked at the Department of Govt. Information.

Goonetilleke has also received several awards. Among them Sports Journalist of the year 2000 (Editors Guild of Sri Lanka), Olympic Award for Excellence in Sports Journalism 2024 (International Olympic Committee), Presidential Award 2015 for the most outstanding sports publication, Kreeda Sahithya Vedi (2020-Sabuddhi Sports Literary Awards) and Multi Literal Sports Literate Award (2022- Sabuddhi Sports Literary Awards).

Anura Bandara Rajaguru 

Anura Bandara Rajaguru is a past student of Ananda College, Colombo, who commenced his journalistic career in Lake House in 1980 working for the Janatha and Yovun Janatha newspapers and subsequently joined the editorial teams of Silumina and Kreeda, after which he joined the Central News Desk before moving to the Navayugaya and Sarasaviya culminating in over four decades of work. Alongside his journalistic career, he built a parallel career in broadcasting, television, and writing.

Alongside his professional career, he obtained a Diploma in Journalism from the University of Colombo.

1994, was a water-shed year in his career in journalism, while in Lake House he became the Deputy Editor of a new evening Sinhala language newspaper - Colombo Puwath and later Associate Editor of the newspaper. He was later appointed Editor of Sarasaviya newspaper while being managing editor of periodical publications.

Rajaguru left Lake House in 2008 while serving as Associate Editor of ANCL’s Training and Research Department. Rajaguru also worked as a relief announcer at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC). 

His contributions to creative writing earned him the Wimalasiri Perera Memorial Award for Creative Writing. He also completed a UNESCO course on writing for Children.

Chandra Fernando

Chandra Fernando has over 45 years of experience in the media industry. She began her career in journalism in 1977, joining the Chinthamani and Thinapathi newspapers published by the Davasa Group as an Assistant Editor.

After working under the leadership of S. T. Sivanayagam, she joined Sudamani, a newspaper launched by the Gunasena family, where she served as an Assistant Editor.

She subsequently served for a brief period as the person in charge of the Thinaththanthi newspaper published during that era.

Fernando joined the Virakesari weekly edition as an assistant editor in 1997, during the period when Chandrika Subramaniam was in charge of the Virakesari weekly edition, she later worked as an Assistant Editor at Sudar Oli for a period before rejoining Virakesari. During this time, she also served as Deputy Editor of Tamil Times, the international edition of the Express Newspapers (Cey) Ltd. She subsequently returned to Virakesari, where she continued her distinguished career until her retirement.

Fernando has held several key editorial positions, including Editor-in-Chief, Assistant Editor and Deputy Editor. Her extensive experience and dedicated service have made her a notable figure in the field of journalism.

Rohan Abeywardena

Rohan Sarath Abeywardena entered the journalism scene in 1980 with the now defunct Sun Newspaper of the Independent Newspaper Group as a trainee journalist (sub editor). Having got a good grounding there, he soon crossed over to the newly launched Upali Newspapers Ltd. in November 1981 when the UNL launched its first daily English publication The Island, where he quickly rose from sub editor, Shipping page editor, business page editor, Deputy News Editor, News Editor, Associate Editor and Consultant Editor.

In the run up to and after the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in July 1987, he manned the ‘hot seat’ of the News Editor in The Island, Sunday Island, The Sunday Times (twice). Abeywardena also had some memorable attachments with the Daily Mirror as Deputy Editor News at its launch and as the Associate Editor of the now defunct The Nation between 2003 and 2010. He also served as the editor of the Weekend Standard, when Tiran Alles launched that newspaper in 2006. 

He never bothered about hogging the limelight with his byline, but he ensured that journalists serving under him got as much exposure as possible. Till he retired in 2011, he was always in the thick of the news while keeping his reporters on their toes in the interest of the country whatever the personal consequences.

Since retirement he has continued to serve The Island online.

Ariyaratne Ganegoda

Senior journalist Ariyaratne Ganegoda was born in the year 1944.  Educated at Kotahena Central College and Sri Lanka Vidyalaya, he entered the field of journalism around mid-1966. During his journalism career, he worked for the Aththa (1966–1990), Dinamina (1990–2005), Lankadeepa (2006–2011), and Mawbima (2018–2020) newspapers. Since 2020, he has been contributing articles to Lake House newspapers as the regional correspondent for Colombo Central. He has also contributed articles to Silumina, Observer, and Thinakaran. 

Among these roles, he served as the Deputy News Editor of the Dinamina newspaper. Having covered major political parties, the Colombo Municipal Council, and the Western Provincial Council for a lengthy period, he is also a member of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association. Senior journalists Sirilal Kodikara, B.A. Siriwardena, Ariyawansa Pathiraja, and Bennet Rupasinghe are among his contemporaries.