Television station TV3 has secured back-to-back victories in the HAWANA-DBP Pantun Festival, reinforcing its dominance in Malaysia's traditional verse competition among media organisations. The triumph came at the festival held in conjunction with National Journalists' Day celebrations in Butterworth, where the quadruple winners Mohammad Nor Affiq Norshamsudin, Mohd Safwan Sawi, Azrin Md Isa, and Mohamed Hirsham Azmi demonstrated their mastery of the classical Malay poetic form.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim graced the awards presentation at the PICCA Convention Centre @ Butterworth Arena, conferring legitimacy on the competition and underscoring the cultural significance of pantun in Malaysia's national identity. The ceremonial handing over of prizes by the nation's chief executive reflected the high-profile nature of the event, which gathered prominent figures including Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, and Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai. This governmental participation highlighted pantun's enduring role as a marker of Malaysian heritage and cultural continuity within the media sector.

The financial rewards reflected the competitive stature of the festival. TV3 claimed RM3,000 in prize money alongside a trophy and participation certificates, establishing themselves as the clear favourites in the pantun performance arena. Bernama, the Malaysian National News Agency, secured second place with RM2,000, a trophy, and certificates. Beyond monetary recognition, the competition offered participating journalists an opportunity to showcase linguistic prowess and cultural knowledge alongside their professional responsibilities in an increasingly digitised media environment.

Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) captured third place in the competition featuring eight teams from major Malaysian media organisations, with Berita Harian rounding out the top four finishers. The festival attracted a substantial total of 32 individual participants competing across the various teams, indicating widespread engagement from journalists seeking to maintain and celebrate traditional Malaysian cultural forms within their professional circles. The scale of participation suggested that pantun performance remains a meaningful cultural activity for media practitioners rather than merely ceremonial participation.

Amongst the individual accolades, Muhammad Syukri Khairulannuar from Bernama received recognition as Best Pantun Performer, demonstrating that excellence transcends team victory and acknowledging standout individual artistry. Meanwhile, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) impressed judges sufficiently to claim the Best Attire Award, suggesting that the festival valued cultural presentation alongside performative skill. These supplementary awards reflected the multifaceted nature of the competition, which assessed not only verse quality but broader cultural appreciation and aesthetic understanding.

The competition had taken place earlier on May 9 at Panggung Sari, Kompleks Kraf Kuala Lumpur, serving as one of the preliminary celebration events for HAWANA 2026. This timing allowed the festival to build momentum leading to the main HAWANA commemoration, embedding pantun performance within the broader recognition of journalists' contributions to Malaysian nation-building. The venue selection at a traditional crafts complex symbolically connected the classical art form to Malaysia's cultural heritage infrastructure.

TV3 team leader Mohammad Nor Affiq acknowledged the psychological challenges inherent in defending a championship, revealing that he had initially questioned his capacity to lead the team to a second consecutive victory. His admission of initial self-doubt resonated with many in competitive environments where defending titles carries greater psychological weight than securing initial victory. However, mentorship from TV3 host Ahmad Fedtri Yahya provided the encouragement necessary to overcome these reservations and commit fully to the competitive pursuit.

Nor Affiq framed the team's success within a framework of collective effort and gratitude, crediting his teammates, family members, and supporters for sustained motivation throughout their preparation and competition phases. His public acknowledgement of dependency on a support network reflected contemporary understanding of achievement as fundamentally collaborative rather than individually driven. The invocation of spiritual thanks through "Alhamdulillah" positioned the victory within Malaysia's Islamic cultural context, a common practice among successful Malaysian public figures.

Bernama's team leader Muhammad Syukri demonstrated a forward-looking perspective on the runner-up finish, characterising the loss as motivational rather than definitive. His commitment to systematic review of weaknesses and strategic strengthening of preparation suggested a professionalised approach to pantun competition, moving beyond amateur enthusiasm towards structured improvement methodologies. Syukri's explicit intention to address identified shortcomings in future editions indicated that Malaysian media organisations treat pantun festivals as seriously as professional competitive events.

HAWANA 2026, organised by the Ministry of Communications with Bernama as implementing agency, carried the thematic focus of "Media Integrity Strengthens Credibility," connecting cultural celebration to contemporary governance priorities. This positioning of pantun within broader discussions of media standards and journalistic ethics demonstrated official recognition that traditional cultural forms remain relevant to modern professional challenges. The HAWANA grand finale functions as Malaysia's primary gathering for media practitioners, serving dual purposes of cultural celebration and professional recognition.

For Malaysian and Southeast Asian media professionals, the HAWANA-DBP Pantun Festival represents an important intersection of cultural preservation and professional identity formation. In an era dominated by digital communication and anglophone media cultures, the prominence given to classical Malay verse within journalism's highest forums affirms the vitality of regional linguistic and literary traditions. TV3's sustained success suggests institutional commitment to cultural competency among media professionals, while competitive participation from major organisations indicates broader recognition that traditional forms retain contemporary value. The festival exemplifies how developing nations can integrate cultural stewardship into professional achievement structures, avoiding false dichotomies between modernity and tradition.