KUALA LUMPUR, December 17 — The Malaysian Digital Association’s (MDA) Awards 2019 will see the introduction of four new categories to honour rising innovative digital players in the country.
The new categories — Best in E-Commerce Marketing Campaign, Best Influencer of the Year, Best Influencer Marketing Campaign and Rising Star awards — are to appreciate innovative digital practitioners in Malaysia.
The introduction of these categories resonates with the constant evolution of d Awards, the only award event in Malaysia that honours brands, agencies, publishers and technology companies for their use of digital media to create and develop standout campaigns, services and products.
MDA president Serm Teck Choon said in a press release that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the association and the addition would be just in time to acknowledge the contributions of digital players in advancing the digital ecosystem.
“MDA is fully supportive of the government’s digital-first economy — as outlined in Budget 2020 — to enable the talent in the industry, respond to disruptions in business and to foresee and seize opportunities that arise from them,” said Serm, who is also CtrlShift Malaysia country head.
He also pointed out that the new Rising Star category is a spin-off from the Digital Person of Year category which honours individuals above 30.
“It is created to stimulate and cultivate under-30 professionals in the digital industry to assist in the government’s efforts to strongly position us in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he added.
The awards organising chairman Nicholas Sagau Tony Ngimat also noted that MDA has been adding various key categories such as Best Use of Digital Innovation, Best Platform Development, Best Tech Developer and Best Digital Publisher of The Year since 2018.
“These new categories are added to d Awards to also reflect a shift towards a more inclusive approach in recognising industry practitioners with the capacity to innovate and contribute to Malaysia’s digital economy,” said Sagau, who is also Media Prima Digital group general manager.
“Our digital economy is increasing annually and we must meet the corresponding demand for a digital-centric workforce that is vital to sustain this impressive expansion.
“It is the MDA’s hope that d Awards will help accelerate marketers’ adoption of the latest technology to create value through technology,” he added.
All campaigns, projects and products that were executed and developed in Malaysia between January 1 and December 31, 2019 are eligible for submission.
The early bird submission deadline is set for December 30 while the final deadline is January 7, 2020.
Details on the rules, entry kit and sponsorship are available here.
