ABOUT PESTA PERDANA
Pesta Perdana is a prestigious awards ceremony honouring the best in the Malay media industry in Singapore. The event draws entries from local production houses vying for top honours in the fiercely contested programmes, performance and creative award categories.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
The awards show started out as a new year’s countdown entertainment show that was telecast on 31 December 1996 on Prime 12. Titled Pesta Perdana New Year End Special, the programme featured Malay as well as Indian artistes. Top 5 Malay and top 5 Indian programmes for that year were announced.
A BRIEF HISTORY
In 1997, for the first time in local Malay TV history, 5 awards were presented with the objective to applaud and honour talent in the field of TV production – Most Popular Actor, Most Popular Actress, Most Popular Host, Best Local Production and Top Rated Programme. This 1st Pesta Perdana awards ceremony was held jointly with Pradhana Vizha.
In 1998, separate award shows were held to recognise talents in Malay and Indian television. A total of 13 awards were given out. Six best performance and five best programme awards were determined by a panel of judges. The Most Popular TV Personality award was also given out based on viewers’ votes. In addition, the very first Anugerah Perdana Emas (Lifetime Achievement Award) was presented to pay tribute to an individual who has made a significant contribution and impact toward the local Malay entertainment industry. Creative categories were subsequently introduced to acknowledge talents in the technical and creative aspects of video production.
THEN AND NOW
From the 9th Pesta Perdana, the awards ceremony is held every other year. Over the years, more categories have been introduced to recognise more creative talents, both in front of and behind the cameras, who have contributed to the growth and success of Singapore’s Malay media industry. In line with the changing media landscape where content is consumed across different platforms, Best Audio Programme is introduced in the 16th Pesta Perdana in 2021. Best Radio DJ and Best Short-Form Digital Content is introduced in this year’s Pesta Perdana.
