Astro AWANI clinches gold in 'Best Audience Engagement' at DMA 2023 Awards

SINGAPORE: Astro AWANI swept the top two awards in the ‘Best in Audience Engagement’ category at this year’s Digital Media Asia Awards (DMA 2023).

Its multi-platform digital initiative, the #SuaraMalaysia hashtag, which made its debut during the 15th General Elections (GE15), claimed the gold spotlight.

Meanwhile, the #MalaysiaMemilih campaign continued its victorious reign with the silver award, a category it previously triumphed in back in 2019.

Launched during the 2022 election season, #SuaraMalaysia and #MalaysiaMemilih resonated across various platforms, sparking conversations especially within the digital sphere.

Organised by the The World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), DMA 2023 stands as the main regional event for the news media industry in Asia-Pacific, focusing on digital trends, technology, and revenue.

Ashwad Ismail, Editor-in-Chief of Astro AWANI, represented the team in receiving the award at a ceremony held in Singapore.

This victory marks the third gold award for Malaysia's most trusted news channel within the Asian region in just two years.

In 2022, it earned gold recognition in the ‘Best Branded/Sponsored Content Campaign' and 'Best Special Project for Covid-19' categories.

Other international platforms nominated for the awards included Yahoo, MediaCorp, The Strait Times (SPH Media) and South China Morning Post.

Notably, Astro AWANI’s strategic media partner, Sinar Harian, also claimed silver in the ‘Best News Website’ category, while Star Media Group received a gold in ‘Best Native Advertising/Sponsored Content Campaign’ for its ‘Sime Darby Property - ERKC Sustainability’ campaign.