TUMPAT: For two weeks last month, Ahmad Faris Ahmad Paudzi spent nearly an hour each day travelling between Kota Baru and Tanah Merah to work on a video showcasing the unity among various races in the state.
The 50km journey between the two districts and the video recording process was tiring for the 23-year-old Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Puncak Alam campus student, but it all paid off when he won first place in the 2024 Kelantan TikTok video contest.
Ahmad Faris beat 10 other participants to win RM10,000 in the contest, which was organised by the state government.
In the clip, which is more than three minutes long and available on his TikTok, three respondents of various races share their views on unity in Kelantan.
The video has received over 73,000 likes.
"In terms of socialising, people here don't care about religion... If you can speak Kelantanese, you can fit in," said Ganti Raja Peruma, who was featured in the clip with his thick Kelantenese dialect.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Faris said he decided to join the contest after being encouraged by his family and friends.
"After hearing the state government's announcement about the contest, I decided to join and returned to Kelantan last month just to make the video.
"My video featured all the races in Kelantan—Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Siamese—using the Kelantanese dialect in their daily communication.
"This demonstrates how harmony and unity exist among the various races living in the state. The topic aligns with the contest's theme, 'The Unity of Kelantan,'" the creative media photo student said when met after receiving the prize at the Kelantan's Unity Dinner here last night.
Ahmad Faris, the second of three siblings, said this was not his first time participating in the contest.
In 2019, he joined a similar contest and also won first place, receiving RM3,000 and a certificate.
"I will use the money I received to buy more equipment for my work," he added.