The Malaysian Kancil Awards is back on November 24th to ‘Make It For Malaysia’

The Association of Accredited Advertising Agents of Malaysia (4As) has announced the 2023 edition of the Kancil Awards, Malaysia’s longest running advertising awards competition.

With the theme “Make It For Malaysia”, this year’s Kancils aims to showcase the best “made-in-Malaysia” creativity, and to set the benchmark for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the industry.

In a significant milestone for the awards, Kancils 2023 is being led by two women, Co-organising chairpersons Yee Hui Tsin (pictured middle), Chief Executive Officer at TBWA Group Malaysia, and Joyce Gan (pictured left), Partner and Group Client Services Director at Fishermen Integrated.

“Creativity is being called upon like never before. Having two women co-chair for the Kancils for the first time in 25 years is a creative act in itself, and it shows that the 4As is committed to DEI through these actions. It’s an absolute honour being co-organizing chairpersons for the Awards. Partnering with Joyce has been amazing – whilst we are from different agency make-up, our ‘gung-ho and just do’ hustle made it fun to bring the Kancils to life this year,” said Hui Tsin.

“We proudly acknowledge the incredible force that women have become in our industry. The ‘Mad Men’ era is far behind us. In a field where male dominance was once the norm, over 50% of my company is comprised of strong and talented women. Our workforce proudly represents the vibrant, dynamic, and forward-thinking nature of our industry,” said Gan.

“Our aim goes beyond mere token inclusivity. We believe the purpose of diversity is to unlock fresh insights and unique perspectives. This industry does not rest only on one gender. So we choose to shine a spotlight on the invaluable women’s perspective,” added Gan.

The Kancils 2023 is further reflective of inclusion by including all agency types and roles in the creative committees, looking beyond 4As members, and inviting Malaysian creative leaders outside Malaysia to be part of the creative council.

This years’ Kancils Creative Council is also led by two co-chairpersons, Emir Shafri, Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe Malaysia, and Adam Miranda, Co-founder and Executive Creative Director of Fishermen Integrated.

Shafri said: “One sometimes feels that the advertising grass seems greener on the other side. But history has shown countless made-on-Malaysian-grass talents making it on the world stage with campaigns bought by brass-balled Malaysian clients. All Malaysians who probably sparked that flame with a first win at the Kancils. As Malaysia’s top creative awards and festival, we felt it was our duty to keep that burning belief that we can make it in Malaysia by embracing the very best of our identity and talents, alive and kicking.”

The Kancils Jury is led by Jury Chairperson and Chief Creative Officer of Grey Malaysia & Singapore, Graham Drew (pictured right), and comprised of a stellar line up of international jury heads:
• Badong Abesamis (Founding Partner, GIGL Manila) – Film and Branded Content Jury
• Valerie Madon (APAC Chief Creative Officer, McCann) – Digital and Digital Craft Jury
• Asawin Phanichwatana (Chief Creative Officer, Creative Juice Bangkok) – Print & Outdoor + Activation Jury
• Firrdaus Yusoff (Head of Creative, F&B Singapore) – Commerce + Audio Jury
• Sling Ng (Director, Think Tank) – Film Craft Jury
• Kelvin Leong (Executive Creative Director, JKR Global Shanghai) – Design and Craft Jury

This year’s festival also features some fundamental changes to the entry categories. There is no more Direct category. What began as a category to celebrate the best in direct mail to your door, has been updated to become ‘Commerce’, to better reflect the industry’s ability to use customer insights and technology to drive the bottom line.

Kancils 2023 includes the main awards, a one-day Festival, and ancillary awards including The Kancil Sick Six New Directors Challenge (sponsored by Maxis), the Young Kancils Challenge (sponsored by Bask Bear Coffee), and the Student Kancils X Scooler Awards (sponsored by Genting Resorts & Theme World).

The festival and awards presentations will be held at EX8, Subang Jaya on November 24th, 2023. Further details on the Kancils 2023 can be found at https://www.kancilawards.com/.