Jasmina Awards 2019

The Jasmina Award is the first award in Malaysia that aims to promote and encourage active aging of elderly. It is a great wish of founders of the Award, Datin Seri Sunita Rajakumar, Festival Director of the Kuala Lumpur International Arts Festival (or DiverseCity) and Dr. Jasmina Kuka, that this initiative reaches out to as many elderly in Malaysia as possible and inspires them to continue with storytelling. 

Supported by DiverseCity, Berjaya’s Better Malaysia Foundation and a team of volunteers, including our hard-working jury, the Award aspires to motivate people who are above 60 years old to live active lives, to stay socially engaged and to share their stories and poems about Malaysia, Love and Journeys.

These awards are a way to honour and cherish those in their golden years and to keep them as an integral part of our society by immortalising their experiences in words. 

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In 2019 we received a total of 55 entries (poems and stories) that came in from participants aged 60 years old right up till 90 years old. 

The ‘Love’ category was an overwhelming favourite amongst participants submitting poems, while for stories, they were pretty evenly spread across the three different categories (My Malaysian Story, Love and Journeys). 

All participating authors wrote with sincerity and it spoke to our hearts. Here are the photo and the list of the Jasmina Awards 2019 winners. Congratulations to all, and also a big thank you to all who participated!

Winners of Jasmina Awards 2019

My Malaysia Story Category

First Prize: Chandrika K.V. Nair 

Second Prize: M A Badrie 

Third Prize: Husna Binti Kassim 

Love Story Category

First Prize: Sheela Kanagasabai 

Second Prize: Tripat Narayanan 

Third Prize: Kuang Ching Hei 

Journey Story Category

First Prize: Ananda Kumar

Second Prize: Kalsom Taib

Third Prize: Shaari bin Mohd Noor

My Malaysia Poem Category

First Prize: Alice Aruthan

Second Prize: Lucille Dass

Third Prize: Sarah Abedi

Love Poem Category

First Prize: M A Badrie

Second Prize: Keats Markandu (Tan Keat Eng)

Third Prize: Cheah Sin Chye

Journey Poem Category

First Prize: Alice L.T. Ong

Second Prize: S H Lim

Third Prize: Azizul Kallahan

Special mention: Oldest participant in Jasmina Awards 2019, Dawn Usharani Biswas (90 years old)

Jasmina Awards’ journey in Malaysia will continue to promote active ageing knowing that there is much talent and wealth of wisdom that can be shared through stories and poems of our elderly.

We hope you will enjoy reading and continue writing.

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Photos from the Jasmina Awards 2019 giving ceremony could be found here.

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Special Weekend at The Chateau for The Winners

It was a splendid and meaningful weekend at The Chateau for Jasmina Awards 2019 winners.

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Thanks to Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Berjaya Cares Foundation, all winners of the Jasmina Awards 2019 were awarded with three days stay at The Chateau Spa & Organic Wellness Resort in Bukit Tinggi from 4-6 October 2019.

Besides enjoying the beautiful resort, great hospitality, tropical garden and Japanese garden, the Jasmina Awards 2019 winners also participated in a very amusing and useful acting skills session by the KL Shakespeare Players (led by Lim Soon Heng, a winner himself and Lim Kien Lee).

They also had a productive brainstorming session about promoting active aging in Malaysia and what can be done better for Jasmina Awards 2020.

The following photos from our stay as well as stories and poems from our dear winners will tell you all :)

Click on the following link to read the reflections from the following winners.

From The Winners

Alice Aruthan - Viva La Chateau

Alice L.T. Ong - The Chateau

Azizul Kallahan - Bridge Crossings

Keats Markandu (Tan Keat Eng) - Reflections from The Chateau stay

Kuang Ching Hei - The Chateau Stay

Lim Soon Heng - Pioneers

Lucille Dass - A Senior Sojourn ... in Celebration

M A Badrie - Till Our Paths Cross Again

Sarah Abedi - The Chateau - the gift holiday with a difference

Sheela Kanagasabai - A Winner's Reflection from The Chateau Resort Stay

Special thanks to dear friends Hamdan and Adiba for prize donations