The Merdeka Award is a Malaysian award that recognises and celebrates the achievements and significant contributions of individuals to Malaysia and its people, within their respective fields.The Merdeka Award – Recognising Excellence and Contribution to the Nation. Journal of Science and Technology in the Tropics (2014) 10(2); pp 139-144.
The Royal Patron of the Merdeka Award Trust is the Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.
History The Merdeka Award was launched on 27 August 2007 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the independence of Malaysia. It was jointly founded by PETRONAS, ExxonMobil (exited 2021) and Shell companies.
Award Process The Merdeka Award used to be granted every year, until 2018, when it was then conferred every other year. The accolade recognizes the notable contributions of individuals and organizations, regardless of nationality, who have demonstrated achievements that has contributed significantly to Malaysia in their respective fields. Below is the award stage/categories in order:
Stage One: List of Categories As of 2024, there are seven award categories: Contribution to Education and Community Contribution to Humanities, Arts and Sports Contribution to Environment and Planetary Health Contribution to Science, Technology and Innovation (previously known as Health, Science and Technology) Scholastic and Academic Achievement Anugerah Khas Merdeka (previously known as Contribution to the People of Malaysia) Anugerah Harapan Merdeka
Stage Two: Award Eligibility The award is open to all living Malaysian citizens – individuals or organizations Only non-citizens are eligible for the Anugerah Khas Merdeka category, whilst the Scholastic and Academic Achievement category is open only to individuals.
Stage Three: Nomination and Selection The nomination and selection process is an independent, objective and fair system administered by a board of trustees, selection committee, and nomination committees.
Stage Four: Nomination Committee Their role is to identify, deliberate, shortlist and recommend candidates to the selection committee. There are five committees, one for each category. Each committee comprises three members, except for Education and Community, which has five members.
Stage Five: Selection Committee Their role is to deliberate the merits of the candidates put forward by the nomination committees and recommend shortlisted candidates to the board. There are five members of the selection committee.
Final Stage: Board of Trustees Their role is to make a final selection of the recipients. The decision must be unanimous with one award for each category, though there may not be recipients in every category each year. The award can be shared by as many as two recipients. The board comprises representatives of the founding members, as well as two independent members.
Award Ceremonies The award winners are announced every two years in August or September in conjunction with Malaysia's Independence Day or Malaysia Day, with the Merdeka Award Ceremony taking place later in the year.
Award recipients