TV3 Or Astro Set To Be Crowned Champion At HAWANA-DBP 2025 Pantun Festival On June 14

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 (Bernama) -- TV3’s Islamic Programming Department and Astro Radio News have advanced to the finals of the inaugural HAWANA-DBP Pantun Festival, a traditional Malay poetry competition held in celebration of National Journalists Day (HAWANA) 2025.

The winner will be announced on June 14 during the main HAWANA 2025 celebration.

The champion will take home RM3,000 in cash, while the runner-up will receive RM2,000. Both teams will also be awarded trophies and certificates.

Meanwhile, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) placed third, followed by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) in fourth.

The Best Pantun Reciter Award went to Nurul Amilin Idrus of RTM, known by her stage name Melati Suntingan, while TV3’s Islamic Programming Department also won Best Costume.

Teams from the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Sinar Harian, the Media Prima News Unit and Malaysia Gazette each received consolation prizes at the festival.

Chief judge ‘Azimin Daud, who is a language planner and special officer to the director-general of Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), said the event had set a new benchmark in promoting the art of language while opening new avenues in the field of journalism.

“This competition shows that pantun is becoming more widely embraced and deeply rooted among the public, as journalists and media practitioners courageously stepped forward to take part in this poetic exchange,” he told Bernama after the pantun festival, held at Wisma Bernama, here today.

“With themes such as journalism, unity and freedom, the event became a meaningful platform for delivering messages through poetic expression, which is subtle yet rich in substance,” he added.

Although it was the festival’s inaugural edition, ‘Azimin said the high calibre of participants indicated strong potential for it to be scaled up in the future.

On the judging criteria, ‘Azimin explained that the evaluation process went beyond naming a winner, with judges assessing the precision of delivery, clarity of meaning and accuracy of content.

“Media professionals already possess an extensive vocabulary, whether consciously or subconsciously. What differentiates them in this competition is how they channel that linguistic ability within the technical constraints of the pantun,” he said.

He added that the event also served as a form of creative therapy for journalists, offering an outlet for expression beyond the demands of daily news work.

Meanwhile, Best Pantun Reciter winner Nurul Amilin said the win came as a surprise.

“Alhamdulillah, this is a blessing for me as I gave it my all. I prepared ahead of time and drew on past experiences, which helped during today’s performance,” she said, adding that she practised for at least an hour daily in the lead-up to the festival.

“Even though we only placed third, we are grateful and happy. Some of my teammates and I last competed together in 2017, so this HAWANA Pantun Festival was a wonderful chance for us to reunite and give it our best,” she added.

TV3’s Da’i personality Azrin Md Isa, from the Islamic Programming Department, which won Best Costume, said their ensemble was inspired by the Kedah Tua era, featuring traditional sarongs and period-appropriate accessories.

“Kedah Tua was one of the easiest historical styles to adapt. The uniformity, choice of colours and accessories blended well. We also highlighted a royal court concept,” he said.

Azrin described the win as a proud achievement for the team, which had worked hard to align its theme with classical Malay aesthetics while meeting the judges' expectations.

-- BERNAMA