Spellmaster the all island schools spelling competition which was rated as the number one education programme in the island rightly secured the title of "Best Education TV programme of the year" at the 2010 Asia Media Awards Ceremony which was held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium recently. The Asian Mass Media Awards were organized by the Sri Lanka Mass Media Foundation - A collaborative media organization which specializes in Mass Media Research and Communication.

CIMA Spellmaster which got under way in September 2009 and took the island by storm was introduced to promote and develop the English language skills of students island wide in a fun and competitive manner with an aim of grooming the younger generation to be better suited for the future employment market.

The competition not only captured the interest of the young island wide but also the older generation.
Mr. Bradley Emerson, Regional Director South Asia and Middle East CIMA, had this to say about the award, "The CIMA Spellmaster programme is not only about the test of spelling skills, but also about inculcating confidence, self belief and the courage to compete.

It is about winning and losing, learning to appreciate the effort that goes into remaining a winner every time you contest and more relevantly to bow down with the satisfaction you gave it your best and to be able to wish those still in the run the very best. Hence it's about character." He continued, "Since we launched the programme it has become very popular thanks to our media partner Sirasa TV, who have raised the profile of the programme and made it a household date with CIMA.

We are thankful to Sirasa and are extremely pleased that the CIMA Spellmaster programme was adjudged not only as the best education programme in Sri Lanka but also assessed Best Education TV programme of the year at the 2010 Asia Media Awards Ceremony. This accreditation is validated by a record number of entries exceeding 6000 contestants we received for the 2011 programme."

Mr. Gayrika Perusinghe, CEO - MTV Channel (Pvt) Ltd - MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd, on the award, "Sirasa is always committed to develop the future generations of this country. We made a conscious choice to partner with CIMA in the Spellmaster programme having seen the value it brings to the participants over and above the mere spelling skills.

We are pleased that this programme over the past 2 years has engaged almost all the households in this country and winning the 2010 Asia Media Awards for Best Education programme of the year is an endorsement to the value this programme adds to our community."

Over the past 40 years CIMA has made a substantial contribution towards fulfilling the higher education needs of the youth in Sri Lanka. As a national body, CIMA has recognized that it is their duty to continue the support of the economic development of the country and the CIMA Spellmaster is one of the initiatives that proved that direction.