The Malaysia Media Specialists Association has announced the agenda of the 2026 Festival and Awards, as well as the conclusion of Round 2 Judging.
Over 65 industry experts, ranging from senior clients and agency folk to industry veterans gathered on 14th July to judge 126 finalists. The theme for this year is MEDIAVOLUTION: next is now! This theme reflects the seismic changes affecting the industry, and the industry’s ability to evolve and ride through these changes effectively, delivering futuristic solutions to clients.
The finale of the competition, the Gala Awards night, is slated for 14th August, where the winners will be announced. This year saw an astounding 355 entries, from over 19 agencies. Marketers in the fray include brands like CelcomDigi, Maxis, Etika Group of Companies, Ryt Bank, Proton, KFC, McDonald’s, U Mobile, Samsung, Wipro Unza, Emborg, Malaysia Airlines, Coca-Cola, Netflix, Maybank,Grab and many others.
The awards night will be presaged by the MSA Festival, on the 14th of August, from 9am to 1:30pm.
The Festival will be a half-day affair, with exciting speakers anticipated, and is expected to be HRDC claimable, priced at around RM 850. This represents a great opportunity for industry practitioners of varying experience levels to learn from experts. Timothy Tiah, a digital pioneer, the founder of Nuffnang and Colony, and Ernst and Young Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, is confirmed as a keynote speaker. Other speakers include representatives of Google and Facebook, as well as Astro’s Henry Tan and Big Tree’s Muhamad Fariz Mustafa.
A standout highlight of the event will be the Great Presidential Debate, with Presidents of various associations slugging it out on a burning issue of today’s media landscape: technology.
Furthermore, every seat at the Festival provides a seat at the Awards dinner too: hence learning in the morning can be followed by dinner and drinks in the evening.
As a part of reaching out to the wider community, the MSA this year will also be conducting a couple of other events, as a part of its activities. These include a Pickleball Day as well as a CSR Day. Sponsorship opportunities are available across all 4 events.
This edition of the MSA Festival and Awards has attracted multiple sponsors, one of the longest list in recent times. Despite economic challenges and flux in the advertising landscape, companies like TV Sarawak, Google, Nexxen, Omnia, Astro, Affinity, Adzymic, Teads, Seni Jaya, WOW Media, Borg Rise SVL, Target Media and Silverpush have all come on board as sponsors.
Omnia has been a supporter of the MSA for many years. Stephanie Wong, COO, Omnia Agency Solutions, said, “At OMNiA, we believe meaningful industry progress happens when brands, agencies and media come together to exchange ideas and challenge conventional thinking.
The MSA Festival & Awards provides exactly that platform. We're proud to support an initiative that celebrates outstanding work while creating opportunities for the industry to learn, collaborate and shape what's next.”
Said Danial Smurthwaite, Head of Sales at Teads, “As a first-time sponsor, we are incredibly excited to be part of MSA’s prestigious Festival and Awards event. Celebrating creativity, innovation, and excellence is what drives our industry forward, and we're excited to be part of an event that inspires and recognizes the very best.”
Target Media has signed up for 3 years, another show of confidence in this industry leading event. “ As a leading elevator media company connecting brands with Malaysia's premium urban consumers, we recognize the vital role MSA plays in bringing together advertisers, media agencies, and media owners. We are committed to support meaningful industry dialogue while fostering a sustainable ecosystem that delivers long-term value for both brands and agencies. We are honoured to partner with MSA in driving innovation, strengthening industry collaboration, and shaping the future of media engagement.
BorgRise SVL, the Official Overseas Partner of Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote), will be sponsoring the Influencer Marketing category at the MSA Awards 2026. “For years, success for influencer marketing was measured by follower counts and viral reach, but brands are now shifting toward creators and platforms that can move someone from curiosity to checkout. BorgRise SVL’s position as Xiaohongshu's official cross-border marketing agency gives us a front-row view of that shift, and it has shaped how we think about influencer marketing more broadly. Sponsoring this category is our way of backing the marketers and creators building that smarter approach,” says Grace Ng, Managing Partner.
Said Kushairi Abang, CEO of TV Sarawak: “TVS is proud and excited to support the Media Specialists Association’s Conference and Events. We are honoured to collaborate with the association in advancing Malaysia’s media industry, fostering meaningful connections, and creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing, innovation, and growth. We look forward to contributing to the success of these initiatives and strengthening our shared commitment to a vibrant and progressive media landscape.”
Akshay Nandoskar, Senior Director, SEA Region, is also coming in for the first time. “At Affinity, we believe the media industry is at a genuinely exciting inflection point, and the MEDIAVOLUTION theme couldn't be more apt. The pace of change is extraordinary, and events like the MSA Festival and Awards play a vital role in bringing the industry together to celebrate bold thinking, recognise outstanding work, and chart the path forward. We're proud to be part of that conversation, “ he said.
Justin Lim, Managing Partner, Adzymic, said he was looking forward to driving conversations around agentic advertising this year at the MSA Festival: "This year's theme, 'MEDIAVOLUTION: Next is Now,' is apt. The industry is no longer just experimenting with AI, it is putting agentic execution into full production, and fast. Adzymic has its own stake in this shift, with a vision to help shape an open, interoperable media ecosystem. We're excited to discuss it and cross-pollinate ideas with our industry counterparts at the upcoming event."
Rohan Dhanuka, Sector Lead, Malaysia and Singapore, at Google, said, “The theme 'MEDIAVOLUTION: next is now!' perfectly captures the pivotal moment our industry is experiencing. As technology—particularly AI—continues to redefine how brands connect with audiences, the media ecosystem in Malaysia is proving its resilience by actively embracing these changes. At Google, we are thrilled to partner with the MSA to celebrate the breakthrough work of this year's finalists and to help shape the future of dynamic, privacy-safe, and AI-driven marketing solutions.”
Mary Koh, President of the Outdoor Advertising Association of Malaysia, and Executive Director of Wow Media, said, The future of advertising belongs to media that is dynamic, data-driven and deeply connected to people. At WOW Media, we are proud to support the MSA Festival & Awards 2026, an important platform that celebrates excellence while inspiring the next generation of media thinking. We believe meaningful progress is achieved through collaboration, and we remain committed to investing in transformative DOOH solutions that elevate industry standards and accelerate the growth of a smarter, more accountable and future-ready OOH ecosystem.”
Sheila Shanmugam, who leads Client Leadership and Growth at WPP Media and serves as President of the MSA, said: “We’re delighted by the support we have received from all the member agencies, and our entries have grown 7% versus 2025, which is a huge achievement when 2026 has been an uncertain year for many.”
Added Sandeep Joseph, CEO and co-founder of Amperand Advisory, and Organizing Chairman of the Fest and Awards 2026, “We thank each and everyone of our sponsors, and we remain committed to creating relevant win-win opportunities for them. This year we have seen a massive number of sponsors, and we are delighted at their support of the media industry’s biggest day and glitziest night! We invite the industry to buy tickets for the festival, because it’s going to be a high quality, high intensity morning, with topnotch speakers talking about the burning issues of the day. We have Tim Tiah, Henry Tan, and speakers from Google and Meta. We also have an exciting CMO Grille planned, with 3 of the top CMOs in the country. And we are also looking forward to a unique Great Presidential Debate, with presidents of leading associations taking the stand!”
Co-organizers include Fan Chen Yip (Yellow Paper Plane), Maaz Khan (WPP Media) and Shilpesh Gandhi (Publicis Media).
More details are available at: https://msa-awards.com/ Festival, sponsorship and table enquiries can be directed to [email protected]
