Winner of My Zesta Story receives Rs.1 million cash prize

Zesta Tea, the leading brand in the premium tea category in Sri Lanka, hosted the much-anticipated awards night for its innovative campaign, My Zesta Story. 

Organised by Sunshine Consumer Lanka, the event marked a significant milestone in the brand’s history by inviting consumers to actively participate in crafting the concept for Zesta’s next television commercial.

The My Zesta Story campaign captivated the imagination of Zesta customers, offering them the unique opportunity to submit their creative concepts in various formats, including video, audio scripts, storyboards and animations. This groundbreaking competition was judged by an esteemed panel of industry experts, led by Mullen Lowe Group Sri Lanka Chief Creative Officer Dilhara Jayamanne. The panel also featured acclaimed television director Lakmal Dharmaratne, renowned actress and producer Dulika Marapana and Mullen Lowe Group Sri Lanka Creative Director Jude Jayaprakash.

With an overwhelming response, the competition saw a total of 3,029 entries from aspiring creators across the country. These submissions were meticulously evaluated based on creativity, brand relevance and practicality, with 50 standout entries being shortlisted for the final round.

The awards ceremony was held in the elegant Oak Room at Cinnamon Grand on August 26, celebrated the winners who had demonstrated exceptional talent and vision. The grand prize of Rs.1 million was awarded to Jehan Malisha for his outstanding script submission. The competition also honoured four runners-up: Pasindu Rashan (Scripts), Dulanjalee Galhithiava (Storyboard), Lahariynan Yoganadan (Audio) and Thuba Siddiq (Video), each receiving Rs.250,000. In total, Rs.2 million was distributed among the five winners.

In addition to the top prizes, Sunshine Consumer Lanka also recognised 15 other shortlisted creators with certificates of appreciation, while all remaining participants received certificates of participation, acknowledging their contributions to this pioneering campaign.