5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
TV3 advances to the Hawana Pantun Festival final
KUALA LUMPUR: TV3's Islamic Content Department reached the finals of the Pantun Festival Competition, held for the first time in conjunction with the 2025 National Journalists' Day (Hawana) celebration.
The team, led by TV3 host and personality Ahmad Fedtri Yahya, alongside Mohammad Nor Affiq Norshamsudin, Azrin Md Isa, and Nurul Shazalina Zainudin, showcased their poetic prowess in a knockout-format verbal sparring battle and also won the Best Dressed category.
The team competed against representatives from Astro Radio News.
However, the winners and runners-up of the Pantun Festival will only be announced during the Hawana summit on June 14 at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL), in a ceremony officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Media Prima Bhd's News and Current Affairs unit team comprises Terengganu Media Prima bureau chief Mohd Ishak Abdillah Ngah, Berita Harian journalists Ilah Hafiz Aziz and Latifah Arifin, as well as Harian Metro journalist Muhamad Lokman Khairi.
Additionally, this year's pantun competition also featured participants from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), Malaysia Gazette, Sinar Harian, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM), and Bernama.
The champion will receive a cash prize of RM3,000, while the runner-up will get RM2,000; both will also receive trophies and certificates.
Third and fourth places will receive RM1,000 and RM500 respectively, along with trophies and certificates, as well as consolation prizes consisting of hampers and certificates of appreciation.
A Best Pantun Performer category is also available, with a cash prize of RM500, a trophy, and a certificate.
Meanwhile, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka will present special awards for the best male and female costumes.
"This competition aims to reignite the passion for literary arts and strengthen the friendship among media practitioners," Bernama chief executive officer Datin Nur-Ul Afida Kamaludin said in her speech.
DBP's Language and Literature Development Department director Abang Haliman Abang Julai said that pantun, as an art form, can also be incorporated into news and journalism to showcase mastery of language.
