(Miri, 3rd) Organized by the Junior Chamber International Malaysia and hosted by the Miri Junior Chamber International, the “2025 Malaysia Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award” (2025 JCI TOYM) selection event has officially launched in Miri. This is the first time this prestigious national selection is being held in Miri, Sarawak.
JCI Malaysia's National President, Tan Wei Jian, stated during the press conference that the TOYM selection aims to recognize young individuals under the age of 40 who have made outstanding achievements in various fields and contributed to society. He hopes to encourage more young people to break through challenges and bring positive impacts to the community.
He expressed appreciation for the efforts of the JCI organization in the Sarawak region and especially thanked the organizing unit, Miri Junior Chamber International (JCI Miri), for taking on the responsibility of hosting the 33rd TOYM selection, making Miri the venue for this national event for the first time. He also mentioned that this year, the Sarawak JCI organization not only hosts the TOYM selection but also undertakes other significant projects such as the JCIM Sustainable Development Award (SDA) by JCI Kuching and the National Academy by JCI Lutong.
Reflecting on the history of the TOYM selection, Chen Weijian mentioned that the award originated from the Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA) program in 1934, and it was promoted globally by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) in 1983. To date, more than 300 individuals from 57 countries have received the award, including internationally renowned figures such as Queen Rania of Jordan, Andy Lau, Tony Robbins, Jackie Chan, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh, Dato’ Wira Lee Chong Wei, among others, who all won the award before the age of 40.
On an international level, only 16 Malaysians have been honored with the JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) international award. Since 1985, JCI Malaysia has selected 10 outstanding young individuals each year in 10 different fields to recommend them for the international award.
He encouraged the youth in Sarawak to seize this opportunity to participate and specifically mentioned several past JCI TOYM representatives from Sarawak, including Dato’ Sri Lee Kim Shin (1986), Dato’ Wee Hong Seng (1995), Dato’ Pandelela Rinong (2013), the late Dato’ Andrew Wong (2016), Rynn Lim Yu Zhong (2018), etc.
Tan Wei Jian, emphasized that as the organizer of the TOYM selection, JCI Malaysia is committed to enhancing the credibility and influence of all awards and will further optimize the selection process this year to ensure the selection of the most representative and inspiring ten young persons.
He urged all sectors of society, especially the media, to actively nominate eligible young individuals so that their contributions can be recognized, inspiring more youth to engage in social development and advance national progress.
“If you know any young individual who has made outstanding contributions in their field, nominate them immediately! Let’s amplify their impact, celebrate their achievements, and inspire more people to move forward courageously.”