30th Sumathi Awards Ceremony
The "Sumathi" Awards, the grand cultural celebration of Sri Lanka’s small screen, which not only shaped but also elevated the standards of all associated aspects of the television arts, proudly celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. The Sumathi Awards today stand as the oldest and most consistently held television awards event in the country.
Having established itself as a national leader, the Sumathi Awards have also gained international recognition, becoming a prestigious and aspirational milestone for Sri Lankan television artists. The Sumathi Awards were initiated in 1995 as a heartfelt concept by Mr. Thilanga Sumathipala.
By 1995, Sri Lankan cinema was nearing its 50-year mark. Through internationally acclaimed films, local cinema had been firmly established both nationally and internationally as a vital cultural contributor. This cinematic background played a crucial role in inspiring Thilanga Sumathipala to create the Sumathi Awards. His family legacy also served as a powerful motivator. His beloved parents, Mr. U.W. Sumathipala and Mrs. Milina Sumathipala, , producing artistically acclaimed films such as Ahasin Polowata, Ganga Addara, Duuta Mawak Misa, Uppalavanna, and popular hits like Unnath Dahai Malath Dahai and Paththini. Through these, they became key contributors to an elevated cinematic culture.
This legacy greatly influenced Thilanga Sumathipala’s vision to launch a festival of the arts such as the Sumathi Awards and to be the Chairman of the prestigious Ceremony for 30 years.
On the other hand, by 1995, Sri Lankan television drama had evolved into a unique identity of its own, with serials like Paligu Manike, Yashoravaya, and Doo Daruwo. The emergence of the exceptional 1994 drama Dandubasnamanaya marked a peak in this journey. At this significant time, the first Sumathi Awards Ceremony was held in 1995.
Dandubasnamanaya won the highest number of awards in that inaugural ceremony. Since then, not only dramatic serials but also contemporary, political, musical, historical, and variety programs such as Ganga Dige, Mulpituwa, Rathu Ira, Angili Salakuna, and Nadun Uyana have been recognized by the Sumathi Awards. The awards also played a significant role in raising the standard of the advertising industry.
Over three decades, the Sumathi Awards has not only been a glamorous and captivating cultural celebration but also a platform that recognized artistic, aesthetic, and technical excellence—greatly contributing to the development of the television industry.
The inaugural Sumathi Awards Ceremony was held with great splendour on November 25, 1995, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium in Colombo. The design of the original Sumathi Award was created by Mr. Owen Weerakkody of the Youth Services Council, based on a concept by Mr. Thilanga Sumathipala. A special award, presented only once in a lifetime to an artist, the U.W. Sumathipala Memorial Award, was introduced by Mr. Athula Upasiri Kaldemulla in memory of the founder of the Sumathi Group, Mr. U.W. Sumathipala.
The distinguished single-episode and long-format teledramas, notable programs, innovative commercials, actors, directors, technicians, and communicators who have received the Sumathi Awards over the years are a testament to the fair judgments made by the panel of independent, unbiased, and honorable judges associated with the ceremony. With consistent, high-standard, and impartial adjudication and expert organization over 30 years, the Sumathi Awards has set an exemplary standard for local television award history unsurpassed and commendable.
During the terrifying times of ethnic strife and Northern terrorism, the Sumathi Awards became a vehicle through which the innocent children of border villages, living between life and death, were able to bring their artistic and aesthetic talents to the national stage a contribution to social progress. It also brought together traditional songs and dances of local communities from across the island onto the vivid Sumathi Awards stage.
Thirty years ago, in an era when no awards ceremony existed for television, Sumathi laid the foundation for a forward-thinking, visionary path. It is deeply satisfying to now witness that the path it opened is followed by many other award platforms today.
The U.W. Sumathipala Memorial Award, which is given only once in a lifetime to honor artists who have made a transformative impact, continues to celebrate some of Sri Lanka’s most respected contributors to the arts while they are still living an invaluable blessing to the nation and to the field of art. The list of past recipients deserves to be preserved as a national record.
Now celebrating its 30th year, “Sumathi” has become a name synonymous with the highest, most distinctive quality in Sri Lanka’s television and teledrama legacy. Looking ahead, the name “Sumathi” is expected to preserve its prestigious cultural tradition while blending harmoniously with modern trends and emerging technologies.