Eight-member jury includes Professor Dr Kiranjit Kaur, Malaysia and Ilan Geva, USA, amongst other health and media experts
The Medical Travel Media Awards (MTMA) 2023, organised by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), serve to recognise and reward excellence in journalism, as well as stories shared by influencers about medical travel in Malaysia will undergo stringent judging from jurors rooted in the international and local media scene.
With prizes up to RM100,000, MTMA 2023 awards encompass Best Print Medical Travel Report, Best Online Medical Travel Report, Best Broadcast Medical Travel Feature, Best Medical Travel Editorial Team of the Year, Best Medical Travel Influencer and Best Medical Travel Journalist of the Year across all media platforms of print, broadcast, online and social media for both international and local media. More than 400 submissions from across the globe are expected in this year’s awards.
Heading the eight-member panel is Professor Dr Kiranjit Kaur, who has 38 years of experience in media and public relations education, research, training and consultancy. Currently a professor at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia, Dr Kiranjit is a certified member of International Coaching Federation, a Fellow of the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia Fellow and an Accredited Public Relations member. She is also a council member of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Content Forum.
A renowned expert in the field of journalism and PR, Prof Dr. Kiranjit says: “There is power to having a disciplined media as it creates an informed and responsible society. I believe media content creators should let their light shine on the impact they have made to educate the masses about the medical travel industry and MTMA is a great avenue to appreciate this.”
Also, on the list of judges is Ilan Geva, who is President of Ilan Geva and Friends Inc, and Sr. Director of Strategy & Head of Americas & Chicago office. An expert in global branding and consumer behaviour, Geva is prolific in his own right. An author, speaker, trainer and university professor, he co-authored ‘Global Brand Management’ and has written numerous articles for international healthcare and medical tourism publications.
Other prominent experts who are on the jury line-up include Dr Ainul Rhyshikin Yusoff and Dr Izzal Asnira Zolkepli. Dr Ainul, known as ‘Docmummy’, is passionate about promoting breastfeeding on social media. She was also awarded the Best Medical Travel Influencer in 2021 and is currently actively involved in Medtweetmy, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to spreading information about medicine through social media platforms.
Returning back as one of the judges is Dr. Izzal Asnira, an Associate Professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and the Malaysian Research Star Award recipient. This year, she continues her impactful role as a jury member for the MTMA for the third consecutive year. Drawing upon her substantial expertise in digital media communication, specifically social media, she has consistently enriched the award’s scope and recognition. Her ongoing commitment further supports MTMA’s mission to acknowledge noteworthy contributions in healthcare digital content and patient-focused narratives, within the local and global medical travel arena.
Industry experts, such as Hanizah Hamzah, who has been Head of Television at Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) since 2006; seasoned journalist Jegathesan Muniandy, who is senior correspondent at Agency France-Presse (AFP); and Cristian Rahadiansyah who is based inIndonesia and has journalistic experience of 19-years, will also be involved in the judging process.
Additionally, Chris Seto who is Managing Director of Dataxet:nama, a key industry player in the media intelligence sector, will be judging the Best Broadcast Medical Travel Feature.
The jury will vet through the submissions and determine the winning entries based on the quality of research, quality of technique/presentation, creativity, headlines and content, their digital and social presence and shareability.
Entries, which opened on 14 February 2023, are welcomed from professional journalists and writers, and media agencies who are permanently and/or contractually employed by print, electronic and online media organisations.
Full-time journalists who are employed by wire agencies are also eligible to participate for the awards by virtue of their role as news providers to media organisations. The invitation for submission has also been extended to freelancers and stringers or part-time journalists, subject to prior approval from the editor or news agency with which the report was published or broadcasted.
The deadline for submissions is 1 November 2023 and MHTC is optimistic about receiving entries from countries around the region and globally including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, and the UAE. Finalists and winners will be announced at the MTMA 2023 Awards Presentation Ceremony , scheduled for December 14.
