MIHAS Awards 2026 officially closed out the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2026 series today at MITEC, Kuala Lumpur — marking the final day of the world's largest halal trade exhibition. A total of 13 awards were presented to exhibitors considered to be shaping the future of the global halal industry through excellence, innovation, sustainability, and digital transformation.
This year's awards were split across three flagship categories: Excellence Awards, Innovation, Sustainability & Digitalisation Awards, and — for the first time — Women in Export (WiEX) Awards. In more detail, the 13 awards covered Product/Service Excellence Awards (won by NIMS Adeliciousz, Industri Makanan Jati, and RK Mubaraka), the Product/Service Emerging Star Award (Chocofac Malaysia and Haritage Brands), the Product/Service WiEX Award (Zhafou Global), the Product/Service Innovation, Sustainability and Digitalisation Award (HYGR, Printdaddy, Betrimex/Coco Investments, Mega Fortris Berhad, Nestlé Products, and Abin Manufacturing), and the WiEX Innovation, Sustainability and Digitalisation Award (Innovate Health).
Notably, the 2026 edition marks an important evolution for the MIHAS Awards. The emphasis is now much stronger on future-ready business practices, emerging technologies, digitalisation, sustainability, and inclusive growth. In other words, the awards no longer just assess what companies have achieved, but also how they're innovating, adapting, and creating sustainable value amid an increasingly competitive, technology-driven global market.
On the evaluation process, MIHAS Awards 2026 was open to eligible Malaysian and international exhibitors. Entrants went through a structured evaluation process, from a pre-assessment stage through to pitching sessions in front of an independent panel of judges — a chance for entrants to directly demonstrate their business achievements, innovation capabilities, sustainability initiatives, and use of digital technology. To ensure the integrity and transparency of this process, MATRADE even appointed an independent external auditor tasked with observing and validating the entire evaluation process.
MATRADE Chairman YB Dato' Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said the evolution of the MIHAS Awards reflects the changing priorities of the global halal industry. "The MIHAS Awards are no longer only about recognising excellence achieved today. They are also about recognising the capabilities that will shape the halal industry of tomorrow," he said. He added that this year's winners demonstrated the resilience, creativity, and forward-thinking capabilities needed to navigate a rapidly changing global marketplace.
Meanwhile, MATRADE CEO YBhg. Dato' Indera Abu Bakar Yusof highlighted the quality and diversity of this year's entries as a reflection of the growing maturity of the halal ecosystem. He also noted that the introduction of the WiEX Awards and the strengthened assessment framework this year broadens the overall scope of the MIHAS Awards, while independent validation by an external auditor reinforces the commitment to credibility and transparency.
Beyond celebrating this year's achievements, MIHAS Awards 2026 also marks Malaysia's continued commitment to shaping a more innovative, sustainable, digitally enabled, and inclusive halal economy — while recognising the businesses helping build it. Looking ahead, MATRADE says the awards will continue evolving alongside the global halal ecosystem, with greater emphasis on businesses demonstrating measurable impact, technology adoption, responsible growth, innovation, and international market potential.
With MIHAS Awards 2026 now concluded, the entire MIHAS 2026 series is officially complete — from its opening with the International Sourcing Programme on day one, through the opening of new country pavilions, industry forums, to this final-day celebration of innovation through the awards. For exhibitors who didn't win this year, the full list of winners and categories could serve as a useful guide for what to prepare ahead of future editions.
Looking back, MIHAS 2026's four-day journey actually tells a fairly coherent story: it began at scale through the International Sourcing Programme bringing together hundreds of international buyers, continued with the opening of new country pavilions like Libya extending Malaysia's halal trade footprint, was reinforced through institutional cooperation like the MATRADE-JAKIM LOI, and finally closed with recognition for exhibitors considered to best reflect the industry's future direction. This arc shows that MIHAS 2026 was designed not just as a one-way transaction event, but as a complete ecosystem spanning trade, policy, and achievement recognition all at once.
Moslem Journey congratulates all MIHAS Awards 2026 winners. Stay tuned for Moslem Journey's full coverage of MIHAS 2026.
