Come with me and you’ll be, In a world of pure imagination,
Take a look and you’ll see, Into your imagination.
We’ll begin with a spin, Traveling in the world of my creation,
What we’ll see will defy, Explanation.
– Pure Imagination. Gene Wilder, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
A world of pure imagination. The real world, however, can be a harsh departure from wonderful imaginings. The harsh and bleak reality is that Mother Nature is in pain, and humans are the root cause of the environmental degradation she is experiencing.. That is more or less the conclusion of the entrants of the Maybank Foundation – Perdana Leadership Foundation Writing & Photo Contest 2020 “Empowering Youth for a Better ASEAN” when asked to compose words and photos for the theme “Climate Action”. Their entries, though, give much needed hope for the future, as they share observations, dreams, and ideas on what needs to be done in the name of #ClimateAction.
who was also one of the contest’s judges.
A total of 100 top ten entries for ten categories were carefully selected over multiple judging rounds from a record 8,062 entries received for all ten fiction, essay, and photo categories. The winners were feted in grand style at the virtual MF-PLF Contest 2020 Prizegiving Ceremony in early May 2021. Schools won, too, with Sekolah Sains Puteri Cyberjaya coming up tops for Fiction and Non-Fiction category and SMK Forest Heights besting others for the Photos category.
Hosted by Selamat Pagi Malaysia anchor and finalist judge Mr Terrence Dass, the prize-giving ceremony kicked off with Welcome Remarks by Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Chairman of the Perdana Leadership Foundation, and Tan Sri Zamzamzairani, Chairman of Maybank and Maybank Foundation. “We felt that it is an excellent platform to further encourage our youths to think critically about the impact of climate change, and explore ideas on how we can collectively address it.” Tan Sri Zamzamzairani said about the contest. The judges and winners, too, shared some thoughts during the ceremony, and youth environmental activist, Ahmad Iszuddin Ahmad Izham, delivered an inspiring speech on “Empowering Generation Green: How Young Malaysians Can Save the Planet”
gave speeches about the significance of Climate Action and preserving the environment.
The most rousing speech came from none other than former Prime Minister YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Honorary President of Perdana Leadership Foundation. “You may succumb to the notion that you are helpless and powerless because of your age. However, if you reflect on the history of mankind, you will find that almost all of the great people started at a very young age – be it Alexander, Tun Razak, Bonaparte, Gandhi, or Wilberforce,” he said, underlining his belief – and ours – in the power of youth.
“You may succumb to the notion that you are helpless and powerless because of your age. However, if you reflect on the history of mankind, you will find that almost all of the great people started at a very young age – be it Alexander, Tun Razak, Bonaparte, Gandhi, or Wilberforce,”
This is the third edition of the Maybank Foundation – Perdana Leadership Foundation Writing & Photo Contest 2020 “Empowering Youth for a Better ASEAN” Writing and Photo Contest which seeks to encourage and reward young Malaysians between 13 and 23 years of age who display good writing and creative skills via fiction, essays, and photos. More information as well as the complete list of winners are at www.empoweringaseanyouth.com.
Congratulations once again to all our winners!
LEE CHEN
Fiction English A
GAN YAN NING
Fiction English B
WAN NUR ISTASYAR ILHAMI BINTI WAN ANUAR
Fiksyen BM A
MUHAMMAD SYAZWAN BIN ALI
Fiksyen BM B
HII MAO XING
Non-Fiction English A
CHRISLYN NAYSHA PEREIRA
Non-Fiction English B
IZZA ADIERA BINTI IZMAN
Bukan Fiksyen BM A
TEH SZE HUI
Bukan Fiksyen BM B
HAZIQ FIKRI BIN HAZIZE
Photos A
NORFAZLIYANA BINTI NORDIN
Photos B
