KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 (Bernama) -- The 2026 Seri Angkasa Award (ASA) has received 1,601 nominations in the television, radio and new media categories.
The 37th ASA, themed “Segalanya Bermula di Sini”, received 1,106 nominations for the television category, 421 for radio and 74 for new media.
This year’s awards feature 40 categories for television, 17 categories for radio, and three categories for the new media, in addition to two special awards -- the Jury’s Special Award and the Seri Angkasa Icon Award.
Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Hamzah said the ASA also recognised the contributions of behind-the-scenes professionals, including producers, scriptwriters, directors, camera operators, editors and technical crew.
He said excellence in the creative industry depended not only on technology but also on talent, creativity, the courage to experiment and the commitment to producing meaningful work.
“The ASA is not merely an awards platform, but a stage to honour those who choose to create, dare to experiment, and never cease believing that a work of art has the power to touch the human heart,” he said in his speech at the ASA 2026 countdown event here today.
Also present were Communications Ministry Deputy Secretary-General (Strategic Communication and Creative Industry) Datuk Bahria Mohd Tamil, Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin, and Information Department director-general Erwin Khairul Ahmad.
Abdul Halim said Malaysia’s creative industry needed to produce high-quality, competitive local content capable of reaching international markets.
“We must be bold enough to be creators. We cannot simply import stories from around the world. We must take Malaysian stories to the global stage, as we possess our own tales of courage, a rich culture, an accessible language, and unique diversity,” he said.
The 2026 ASA 2026 grand finale will be held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre on Oct 24.
The awards are supported by several corporate sponsors and organisations, including CIMB, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), DRB-HICOM Berhad, TikTok, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Bernama.
-- BERNAMA