PWI Jaya and Bank Jakarta Introduce a Special Financial Literacy Category in the 2026 MH Thamrin Journalism Competition

JAKARTA – The Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI Jaya), in collaboration with Bank Jakarta, has introduced the Bank Jakarta Financial Literacy Special Category as part of the 2026 Mohammad Hoesni Thamrin (MHT) Journalism Competition. The category aims to encourage the creation of high-quality journalistic works that enhance public understanding of Bank Jakarta's role and contribution to regional economic development.

PWI Jaya Chairman Kesit B. Handoyo stated that the introduction of this special category represents a positive collaboration between the press and the banking sector in promoting better financial literacy.

"The press plays an important role in delivering accurate, educational, and beneficial information to the public. Through this Bank Jakarta-supported Financial Literacy Special Category, we hope journalists will produce works that are not only of high journalistic quality but also provide broader public insight into the banking sector's contribution to economic development and community welfare," Kesit said.

According to him, the competition also provides an opportunity for journalists to highlight Bank Jakarta's innovations, services, community empowerment programs, digital transformation initiatives, and tangible contributions to Jakarta's economic growth and the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Meanwhile, Bank Jakarta President Director Agus H. Widodo welcomed the collaboration as part of the bank's efforts to improve financial literacy among the public while strengthening its relationship with the media community.

"We believe the media plays a strategic role in building public understanding of inclusive and sustainable financial services. Through this competition, we hope to see outstanding works that objectively portray Bank Jakarta's innovations, programs, and contributions to the community and regional economic development," he said.

Bank Jakarta Corporate Secretary Arie Rinaldi expressed hope that the Bank Jakarta Financial Literacy Special Category would motivate journalists to produce informative, educational, and inspiring works.

"Through accurate and balanced journalistic reporting, we hope the educational spirit promoted through this special category will make a meaningful contribution to improving public financial literacy," Arie said.

The Bank Jakarta Financial Literacy Special Category is open to all journalists from mass media organizations across Indonesia. Participants may compete in three categories: Feature News, Opinion Articles, and Photo Features.

Participants may choose from three main themes: MSME Development, Jakarta Banking Digitalization, and Banking Financial Ecosystem. All submissions must include the keyword "Bank Jakarta" and may utilize official information sources provided by Bank Jakarta.

The submission deadline is July 31, 2026. During the preliminary stage, the panel of judges will shortlist the top five entries in each category.

Judging will be based on several key criteria. For the Feature News category, entries will be evaluated on reporting depth, human-interest value, thematic relevance, writing quality, data accuracy, and originality. For the Opinion Article category, judges will assess the strength of arguments, use of data and references, analytical depth, thematic relevance, and originality of ideas. Meanwhile, the Photo Feature category will emphasize storytelling ability, journalistic value, thematic relevance, technical quality and visual composition, as well as the strength of the accompanying caption.

For each category, the first-place winner will receive a trophy, certificate, and a cash prize of Rp15 million. In addition, the two best nominees in each category will receive certificates of appreciation and a development grant of Rp5 million each.

Through this special category, Bank Jakarta is expected to gain strategic benefits, including increased public literacy regarding banking products and services, a stronger reputation as a modern and innovative regional development bank, and broader positive exposure through various mass media publications.

PWI Jaya and Bank Jakarta hope this collaboration will contribute to building a healthy information ecosystem, enhancing public trust in the financial services sector, and strengthening synergy among the media, the public, and the banking industry in the era of digital transformation.

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