00:00The Star Golden Hearts Award, SGHA, 2026 has wrapped up its final judging with 20 individuals and organizations recognized for
00:09their efforts to make a difference in communities across Malaysia.
00:13The finalists represent a wide range of causes, including social welfare, community empowerment, education, disaster and crisis relief, as well
00:21as environmental and wildlife protection.
00:24SGHA Chief Judge Tan Sri Gui Hosun said, the strong showing of grassroots initiatives this year reflected the willingness of
00:31Malaysians to step forward and help others, despite the challenges facing society.
00:36I must commend that Malaysians are very kind-hearted.
00:42Exactly like what you say, despite the challenging time, we are not sure of people who step up, come forward
00:50and to help.
00:51You can see the amount of time, the efforts throughout Malaysia.
00:58And this year, I think, easily four or five of them are from East Malaysia.
01:02We also cover the wildlife, we cover some of the stray dogs, which I think, if it's just depending on
01:10government funding, it may not be able to do all this.
01:13And these are all volunteers that will come forward and do all this.
01:17A total of 180 nominations were received for SGHA 2026, with the 20 finalists reflecting the diversity of communities and
01:27causes across the country.
01:2913 finalists are from peninsular Malaysia, while 7 are from Sabah and Sarawak.
01:34For today's judging session, we will be assessing 20 finalists through a hybrid session, 9 presenting physically and 11 joining
01:46us online.
01:47This is also the first time we are giving finalists the opportunity to present their work directly to the judges.
01:54I believe this will allow us to better understand the content of their journey, the work they are doing on
02:03the ground, and their determination to make a real difference in their communities.
02:09Also on the judging panel, our Star Media Group Chief Content Officer, Datin Paduka Esther Ng, MySDG Foundation, Chief Executive
02:17Officer Anita Ahmad,
02:18Former Social Welfare Department Deputy Director B, Vijaya Kumari Pillai, National Entrepreneurship Institute, Social Entrepreneurship Manager,
02:26Muhammad Hafizul Khair Mohamad Yusuf, ESG Wright Sendirian Berhad Principal Consultant, Prathab Vengada Salam,
02:32and Pepper Labs, Sendirian Berhad Managing Director, Tanaselan Rajendran.
02:37Introduced in 2015, SGHA has recognized more than 120 individuals and organizations for their efforts to improve the well-being
02:45of communities.
02:47Ten winners, comprising five individuals and five organizations, will be announced at the SGHA 2026 award ceremony on December 8.
02:56Each winner will receive RM10,000, a trophy and a certificate in recognition of their contributions,
03:02and to support their continued work.
03:04Beyond recognizing their achievements, SGHA also aims to give grassroots changemakers greater visibility
03:11and provide a platform for their work to inspire others.
