The 25th Presidential Export Awards (PEA), organized by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), was successfully held on November 23rd, 2023, under the patronage of Hon President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Colombo, with the participation of a large number of exporters. The award winners were presented a prestigious PEA trophy and a certificate, and they have the privilege to use the “Award Logo” as a marketing tool for a three-year period.
The PEA stand as the pinnacle of recognition bestowed by the Head of State of the country upon exporters who have made exceptional contributions to the country's export sector and economic advancement. This esteemed accolade seeks to honor and acknowledge exporters who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in exports fostering growth and economic development.
The prestigious event, initiated by the EDB in 1981, had organized 24 ceremonies during the past years. In 2023, the EDB planned and successfully organized the 25th PEA Ceremony with the participation of around 1,500 invitees, including Hon. Ministers, Diplomatic Corps, Government officials, Award winners, as well as exporters.
This year's awards ceremony aimed to recognize the country's best exporters for two financial years, namely 2021/22 & 2022/23. The awards were presented under two main categories, with 13 overall awards and 51 product/services sector awards for each financial year. Furthermore, merit awards for deserving sectors were also awarded as decided by the Panel of Judges based on the performance of the applicants. The selections for the awards were done by an eminent Panel of Judges headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court.
In line with the new Government policy framework, the EDB implemented new strategies to expand Sri Lanka's exports. Accordingly, initiatives taken by the exporters in the areas of market diversification, product diversification, innovation, value addition, introduction of indigenous brands to the world, sustainable initiatives in exports, development in regional value chains, etc., were considered while designing the Overall Awards.
This year, the EDB introduced the online application portal https://pea.edb.gov.lk/, dedicated for the PEA. The portal facilitated exporters to submit online applications. Besides the application process, interested parties were able to obtain all the details of Presidential Export Awards such as award categories, guidelines, evaluation criteria, testimonials given by the past winners, etc.
The overall and product/services sector award winners received the prestigious PEA Trophy and a Certificate. Merit award winners receive a plaque and a certificate. MAS Active Trading (Pvt) Ltd and MAS Intimates (Pvt) Ltd showcased exceptional achievements, with MAS Active clinching Sri Lanka’s Overall Exporter of the Year Award for both years, marking a milestone in the company’s contribution to the nation’s export sector.
The PEA 2023 was organized by the EDB under the supervision of Chairman & CEO Dr. Kingsley Bernard and under the directions of Hon. Dilum Amunugama, State Minister of Investment Promotion, and Mr. M. M. Nayeemudeen, Secretary to the Ministry of Investment Promotion.
The EDB is profoundly grateful to the esteemed sponsors whose generous contributions were pivotal in ensuring the success of this event. Special appreciation goes to People’s Bank for their outstanding support as the Platinum Sponsor, alongside NDB Bank and NDB Investment Bank, whose significant contributions as Silver Sponsors greatly enhanced this endeavor. We also extend our heartfelt thanks to Ernst & Young for their invaluable role as our esteemed knowledge partner.
