Salynna Kum Wins National Crown at Historic Ceremony at The Majestic Hotel Kuala
Lumpur, Affirming Malaysia’s Commitment to Intangible Cultural Heritage on the World Stage
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 May 2026 – Nova Elite Productions Sdn. Bhd. proudly announces the conclusion of the inaugural Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026 (MHGM 2026) Grand Finale Gala Night, held on 30 May 2026 at the iconic Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur. In a landmark evening that celebrated the living traditions, craftsmanship, and cultural identity of Malaysia, Salynna Kum, age 30, representing Kuala Lumpur, was crowned Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026, becoming the first woman to carry the national title to the Miss Heritage Global World Final.
The Grand Finale brought together distinguished guests, government representatives, diplomats, heritage advocates, and industry leaders, united by a shared vision: to elevate Malaysia’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH) as a pillar of national pride and a vehicle for sustainable tourism and digital preservation.
Grand Finale Results
Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026 Salynna Kum (Kuala Lumpur, Age 30)
Cultural Ambassador (1st Runner-Up) Amelia Kaur (Penang, Age 19)
Tourism Ambassador (2nd Runner-Up) Emilianna Chieng (Sarawak, Age 26)
The Grand Finale was not simply a crowning night. It was a carefully composed evening built around a conviction that sits at the heart of MHGM 2026: that the most powerful thing a young woman can do is know where she comes from, own it fully, and speak for it without apology. Throughout the programme, finalists were challenged to reconnect with their roots, deepen their understanding of the communities and traditions they carry, and step forward as genuine advocates for their culture and identity. That journey reached its culmination on the Grand Finale stage, across three rounds that each tested a different dimension of what it means to be a heritage advocate in Malaysia today.
The National Costume Round was the standout moment of the evening, drawing sustained applause as finalists took the stage in pieces designed by Ain Mohamad, whose work has long celebrated the breadth of Malaysian cultural identity. The Traditional Wear Round that followed saw each finalist in Songket Kebaya, dressed by Shashas Designer of Penang. The choice to platform both designers was deliberate: a celebration of local talent and a reflection of the programme’s belief that heritage lives not only in stories but in the hands of the people who make things.
The final round was the Q&A segment, where finalists drew questions at random and were given moments to respond in front of the judging panel, their families, and an audience of industry and government figures. The questions ranged from the role of young Malaysians in cultural preservation to how women can create change in society, how heritage can inspire innovation, and what message Malaysia would send to the world. It was the round that stripped away costume and choreography and asked simply: what do you think, and can you say it clearly? The finalists answered with a directness and depth that affirmed the programme had found exactly the kind of advocates it set out to find.
Taken together, the three rounds told a story that no single moment could have told alone. From the clothes on their backs to the words they chose under pressure, the finalists showed that cultural identity is not a costume to be put on for the occasion. It is something carried within, expressed through every choice, and worth standing up for in any room. That is precisely the kind of woman MHGM 2026 set out to find, and on the night of 30 May, Malaysia found her.
Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026 is Malaysia’s first national pageant dedicated to the documentation, promotion, and preservation of intangible cultural heritage. Operating under five platform pillars: Heritage Identity, Cultural Diplomacy, Community Empowerment, Digital Preservation, and Sustainable Tourism, the programme requires its finalists to champion living heritage causes grounded in real community impact.
MHGM 2026 holds the official endorsement of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), recognising Nova Elite Productions Sdn. Bhd. as the exclusive national partner for the programme, aligned with Visit Malaysia 2026. The national titleholder will proceed to represent Malaysia at the Miss Heritage Global World Final, to be held from 7 to 13 August 2026 in Da Nang and Hue, Vietnam, with the Grand Final on 12 August 2026.
The Grand Finale also marked a significant step forward in the intersection of technology and cultural stewardship, with the introduction of Heritique™. Developed as a community-led digital heritage registry, Heritique™ is built to do what traditional archiving cannot: capturing living traditions as they are practised, in the voices of the communities who carry them. Its integration into the MHGM 2026 platform reflects a deliberate commitment to ensuring that heritage advocacy does not end on the night of the Finale, but is documented, preserved, and made accessible for generations to come. Heritique™ is designed with ambitions that extend well beyond Malaysia, with a vision to serve heritage communities across the region and globally.
D I S T I N G U I S H E D G U E S T S O F H O N O U R
The Grand Finale was graced by an esteemed assembly of guests whose presence underscored the programme’s significance at the national and international levels:
Mr. Wizani Rosmin Senior Director (Management), Tourism Malaysia
Dr. Eyo Leng Yan Pengarah, Bahagian Warisan Tidak Ketara, Jabatan Warisan Negara
Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Noor Hisham Abdullah Chairman, UCSI Healthcare Group
Puan Hanani Binti Sapit Director General, Department of Women Development, Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development
Mr. Kitaoka Tatsuya Director, Japan Information Service Counsellor, Embassy of Japan in Malaysia
Mr. Norman Matthieu Vanhaecke Chief Executive Officer, Cradle Fund
Dato’ P’ng Soo Hong Advisor, Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026
Dato’ Peter Ng Founder and Executive Chairman, UCSI Group
V O I C E S O F T H E E V E N I N G
“Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026 is more than a pageant. It is a platform that empowers young individuals to appreciate, understand and represent Malaysia’s rich cultural diversity, traditions and heritage with confidence, knowledge and pride. Heritage is not just our identity. It is a formidable economic driver.”
— Mr. Wizani Rosmin, Senior Director, Tourism Malaysia
“A pageant produces a winner. A platform produces change. Tonight, one finalist will be crowned Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026. She will carry this title to the international stage, not as a symbol, but as a mandate to speak for the communities whose stories she has been trusted to hold.”
— Mr. Isaac Lim, Organising Chairman, Miss Heritage Global Malaysia 2026
“Miss Heritage Global Malaysia is not a search for the most beautiful face in the country. It is a search for the most courageous heart. We looked at the cultural landscape of this country and felt an urgency we could not set aside. Communities whose traditions are one generation away from disappearing.” — Mr. Derick Tan, Managing Director, Nova Elite Productions Sdn. Bhd. and National
