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By Mihar Dias October 2025
If you had walked into the Grand Ballroom of Tropicana Golf & Country Resort on the evening of October 1st, you might have mistaken it for an awards night for established journalists or social media influencers.
But it wasn’t that. It was something more extraordinary — the Newswav Creator Awards 2025, a celebration not of celebrity, but of words.
Looking at the faces that walked up the stage that night — from rising names like Kpost and Fa Abdul to familiar veterans such as Citizen Nades and JK Joseph — I was struck by how many new voices have found a platform to speak, to write, and to be heard.
For all the noise about shrinking newsrooms and the death of print, Newswav has done something remarkable: it has built a garden where a thousand writers can bloom.
In an age when media ownership is concentrated in the hands of a few, and editorial agendas often tilt to please advertisers or politicians, Newswav stands out as a democratizer of expression. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned columnist, a student with a strong opinion, or a retiree with stories to tell — the platform gives you space, tools, and, more importantly, an audience.
At the Newswav Creator Awards, you could see the range: law professionals like ADIL Legal rubbing shoulders with comic creators like Ernest Ng, podcasters from 后起之秀 exchanging ideas with finance guru Fong Wei Ziet. Even academia showed up — with representatives from INTI, Taylor’s, and APU — signalling that the bridge between learning and creating is narrowing fast.
Janice Chin, the CEO, summed it up well in her speech — part reflection, part roadmap, and all inspiration. Her words painted a future where technology, particularly AI-powered tools, will help creators find their rhythm, refine their craft, and reach more readers.
But beyond the digital talk was a deeper truth: Newswav’s strength lies in human stories, told by ordinary Malaysians who now have a platform that listens.
And the proof was in the recognition. Awards for excellence went to creators with massive reach, but also to those whose words sparked meaningful engagement.
The night’s top creator, JK Joseph, stood as a reminder that good writing still matters — that thoughtful commentary can compete with clickbait, and that readers still crave substance amidst the scroll.
For me, one of the most symbolic recognitions was the Gold Milestone Award, given to those who crossed five million cumulative views. It wasn’t just a number — it was validation for hundreds of hours of thought, editing, and rewriting.
For many, it marked their first real acknowledgment that writing can still move people, spark debate, and inspire change.
Newswav’s achievement goes beyond just content distribution. It has reshaped Malaysia’s media landscape, not by shouting the loudest but by amplifying the quietest. It has proven that there’s a market for sincerity — for perspectives that reflect the diversity, humour, and contradictions of Malaysian life.
As I watched the young awardees snap selfies beside veteran journalists, I couldn’t help but think: this is what media freedom looks like in the digital age — not limited to pressrooms or pundits, but open to anyone with the courage to write.
So, to all who came, laughed, and shared that night at Tropicana — and to the team behind Newswav — congratulations. You’ve shown that Malaysia doesn’t lack talent or stories. It just needed a space where they could be told.
And to every budding writer out there: pick up your pen (or keyboard). The stage is open. The garden is blooming. And the world is waiting to read you.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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