PETALING JAYA: Organ donation is not new in Malaysia, yet interest in the topic remains limited, with only 1.1 per cent of Malaysians having pledged their organs.
The latest statistics by the National Transplant Resource Centre show there are 9,254 people, comprising adults and children, on the organ waiting list.
To increase the awareness of the importance of organ donation, Kiwanis Malaysia is partnering with Pixlepost Sdn Bhd to organise the 'Gift of Life' video competition.
This competition offers scholarships from Claz'room College, a creative multimedia digital art college as the ultimate prize for young and talented designers who can produce the most compelling video, effectively telling the powerful story of organ donation and the 'Gift of Life'.
Kiwanis Malaysia District Immediate Past Governor, Rosemary Tan said, 'Kiwanis is all about creating better lives for children, and while many children need organ donation, so too do adults. We believe in educating young people on this crucial topic, as they can potentially save eight lives through a single organ donation pledge.
"By understanding this, they can also help educate their parents. This event has been made even more inspiring with the participation of Claz'room College, who have sponsored the top three prizes, each worth RM10,000 in scholarships for winners to study at their institution."
Tan added that the primary goal of Kiwanis in launching the 'Gift of Life' organ donation video competition is to make this campaign go viral.
It supports the National Transplant Resource Centre, under the Health Ministry to raise awareness about transplantation and expand the pool of organ donor pledges through MySejahtera.
The latest published numbers by the centre show 9,254 patients on the organ waiting list, with 398 children needing kidney transplants and five awaiting liver transplants.
The number for adults is even more alarming, with 8,828 requiring kidney replacements, 15 needing heart transplants, two needing lung transplants, one awaiting a liver transplant and five needing both heart and lung transplants.
Claz'room College managing director and co-founder Tung Yan Ning said, 'We are proud to collaborate with Kiwanis and the National Transplant Resource Centre of Malaysia to support this meaningful initiative. We believe in nurturing creative talents who excel in their craft and embrace the spirit of giving.
"This partnership aligns with our mission to empower the next generation of creative leaders and support their journey in the digital arts."
The 'Gift of Life' video competition will feature seven categories with three different video formats: a 60-second video, a three-minute video, and a 10-minute short story.
Each video must be posted on social media to inspire viewers to become organ donors, highlighting the life-saving impact of pledging organs.
The competition is open to primary school students aged 6 to 12, with RM300 for the first prize and RM100 for the second prize for a 60-second social media video.
Secondary school students aged 13 to 17 are also encouraged to create 60-second videos, with prizes of RM300 for first place and RM100 for second place.
For the three-minute video, the first prize is RM600, and the second prize is RM300.
For participants aged 18 to 25, the three-minute video offers RM800 for the first prize and RM400 for the second prize, while the 10-minute video comes with an RM2,000 first prize and RM1,000 second prize.
The competition is also open to adults aged 18 and above, with prizes ranging from RM400 to RM2,000 for the three-minute and 10-minute videos, respectively.
The videos must be shared across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
The closing date for the video competition submission is Nov 30. For more information, email r.tan@kiwanis.org.my