Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year 2016...

Photos: Kasun Deegodagamage 

The first ever “Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year” Awards ceremony was held on Friday (23) at the Hilton, Colombo.

Ada Derana launched “Sri Lankan of the Year” to honour and celebrate individuals and groups whose efforts and achievements have far reaching influence on the country, positively impacting the local community and helping to profile Sri Lanka among the international community.

Winners were nominated across multiple categories such as Sports, Global Entertainer, Unsung Hero, Entertainer, Global Scientist, Icon, Entrepreneur, and Global Businessman. 

Sri Lankan cricket legend Kumar Sangakkara was presented the ‘Icon of the Year’ award while he also took home the ‘Popular Award’.

Ada Derana Sri Lankan Of The Year – Award Winners 

Sports – Mathew Abeysinghe

Global Entertainer - Jacqueline Fernandez

Entrepreneur - W.K.H. Wegapitiya

Classical Entertainer - Dr. Arunthathy Sri Ranganathan

Entertainer / Popular Category- Bathiya and Santhush

Global Businessman - Merrill J. Fernando

Global Scientist - Professor Malik Peiris

Popular Award – Kumar Sangakkara

Special Award - Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala

Public Service – Mahinda Deshapriya

Unsung Hero - Dr. Ajith C.S. Perera / Mrs Princy Mangalika / Wilbert Ranasinghe

Gallant Soldier –  Personnel Representing the Tri-Forces

Icon of the Year – Kumar Sangakkara

The Ada Derana ‘Sri Lankan of the Year’ is designed as an exhaustive, rigorous and credible platform to nominate and select Sri Lankans whose dedication and commitment in their chosen fields have inspired pride and patriotism. In recognising such achievement, it is hoped that fellow Sri Lankans, especially the younger generations, will be inspired to emulate the hard work, passion, and vision of their idols.

The two-tiered selection process is a robust and transparent one with nominees being shortlisted through an editorially driven process, under the supervision of the Ada Derana editorial leadership in collaboration with industry/category specialists.

The final selection of awardees will be by a jury of eminent personalities of distinguished stature and achievement: they are Deshamanya Radhika Coomaraswamy, the former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict until 13 July 2012 and current civil representative to Sri Lanka’s Constitutional Council; Nalaka Gunawardene, science writer, development communicator and journalist par excellence; business icon Dian Gomes, Chairman of Hela Clothing and current Vice President of the National Olympic Committee, who is one of the foremost figures in the development of sports in the country; respected intellectual Professor Carlo Fonseka who currently serves as chairman of the Sri Lanka Medical Council; emeritus Professor of Sinhala, Desamanya J. B. Disanayaka, one of the leading Sinhala language scholars of Sri Lanka; Vijitha Yapa, the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Vijitha Yapa Associates and a founding editor of three National Newspapers of Sri Lanka, The Island, The Sunday Island and The Sunday Times; the 20th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army General R. M. Daya Ratnayake, WWV, RWP, RSP, USP, ndu, psc; leading educator and women’s right advocate Jezima Ismail, the founder of the Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (MWRAF), and the President of the Sri Lanka Muslim Women’s Conference (SLMWC) and film maker Chandran Rutnam who has been pivotal in reaching out to the international cinema fraternity.