PhilSTAR Media Group takes home two silvers at the 58th Anvil Awards

The PhilSTAR Media Group took home two silvers at the 58th Anvil Awards for its forward-thinking multimedia campaigns in 2022.

The Philippine STAR won a Silver Anvil Award in the category “Multimedia – Online Video / Online News / Podcast” for its 36th-anniversary project dubbed The Next Page. The campaign asked the question “What if we dared to want more?” and invited forward-thinkers in the Philippines “to reach deep within themselves to try to find the right answers that will bring us to a better tomorrow.”

Sheila Paras, PhilSTAR Life publisher and STAR36 editorial director, said that the concept was inspired by the unprecedented changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and its long-term impacts on people and the country as a whole. “Even though things are getting back to normal, we’re still grappling with the long-term effects of COVID-19. The elections gave us a chance to hope, but we continue to raise earnest questions concerning our daily struggles in the midst of political and economic instability,” she said.

“With all these changes happening around us, we decided to take a step back and ask, what if we could reimagine our lives and create a better future for ourselves and our country? And that's what we decided to present—a way to explore new possibilities and ideas that could help us work toward a healthier nation characterized by community, social justice, honor, and democracy,” explained Paras.

“From work-life balance to governance, education, and innovation, to putting more women in leadership positions, we took a deep dive into what could be possible—what ought to be—if we dared to dream big and work toward a future that is more responsive and inclusive.”

“By asking ‘What if?’ and encouraging imagination, we hoped to bridge the gap between dreams and reality and inspire progress and innovation,” she added.

According to Paras, the ideation and brainstorming for the project took several weeks as they had to make it a point that the scenarios “would encourage people to reflect and reimagine their lives and work toward that vision.” The STAR36 team then came up with a list of over a hundred opinion-makers and experts in various fields in the country and narrowed it down from there. “What’s amazing is that when we pitched the ‘what if’ questions to our final list of thinkers, no one said no to us; they were more than eager to share their thoughts with us, and we are grateful for that.”

Among the country’s game-changers who took part in the award-winning initiative were former Vice President Atty. Leni Robredo who wrote about the need for empathy in every elected official; Palanca Hall of Famer Butch Dalisay who talked about discovering endless possibilities through books and libraries; Filipino historian Xiao Chua who highlighted the importance of voting wisely to elect leaders with honesty and integrity; and human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares who noted that “a nation that respects freedoms, and puts justice and peace at the heart of governance, is a nation that will not be blindsided in its pursuit of loftier goals.”

Aside from the STAR, BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation also bagged a Silver Anvil Award in the category “Special Events and Exhibits – Conferences / Conventions” for its virtual economic forum titled Revolutions 2022: Navigating the Changed World. Held in May 2022, the sales and marketing affair gathered leaders and experts in different industries to discuss “effective ways to face and thrive in the new world” with BusinessWorld editors and journalists.

"We are proud of how BusinessWorld manages to consistently bring the business community together through its annual economic forum that provides valuable insights and critical indicators about the Philippine business climate," said PMG executive vice president Lucien Dy Tioco. 

"Revolutions 2022 gave the community inroads to economic recovery while the nation is still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest Anvil recognition is BusinessWorld Economic Forum's seventh award since its launch in 2016," he added.

The Anvil Awards is an annual public relations awards in the Philippines conferred to “select public relations nominees of exemplary performance in the field.” Its 58th edition was held on Wednesday, March 8 at the Marriot Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.

Check out all the forward-thinking stories from STAR 36: The Next Page here.