Melbourne Asia Game Changer Awards 2024 | Gala Dinner
VIEW EVENT DETAILSJoin us for an unforgettable evening celebrating Australia's dynamic connection with Asia and honouring under-recognised leaders who strengthen this important relationship.
We received an incredible response to this year's nomination campaign from across Australia and the region. The finalists and winners from the four categories of arts & culture, research & education, business, and emerging leader, will be celebrated at the Awards Gala Dinner. Meet the 2024 Game Changer finalists here.
In addition to honouring the finalists and winners of this year's Awards, we will be presenting a special Icon Award. Celebrate with us as we recognise the remarkable achievements of Poh Ling Yeow, Asian-Australian celebrity chef, artist, author, and TV personality, as our esteemed Icon Award recipient. We will also launch a new category, the Leadership Award, for individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to Australian society at large, and in particular, empowering Asian-Australian communities.
Indulge in the rich culinary culture of Asia with an exquisite menu crafted by the renowned Chef Victor Liong, promising a delightful experience for your taste buds. The evening will be hosted by our MC Urvi Majumdar, comedian, writer, producer and actor, and feature performances from Melbourne-based violinist, producer, and vocalist Elle Shimada.
Guests will get a first glimpse of the Australian debut of renowned Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's Dancing Pumpkin artwork. Conceived by the artist in 2020, Dancing Pumpkin takes her iconic motif into new and surprising conceptual terrain and allows audiences to walk under the towering sculpture.
Hosted at the iconic National Gallery of Victoria, the gala dinner promises unique networking opportunities, gourmet dining, captivating cultural performances, and more.
Date: Friday 8 November, 2024
Time: 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm AEDT
Venue: National Gallery of Victoria
Dress code:
Men: Suit with a shirt and tie, or cultural attire.
Women: Cocktail dress, pantsuit, dressy separates, or cultural attire.
For any enquiries and further information, please contact [email protected]
For more information on the initiative, FAQs, and our past alumni, click here.
Ticket sales are closed.
DISCLAIMER: Asia Society Australia members will receive additional discount on tickets. To access member discount tickets, please email [email protected].
Please note that you do not need to fill out information for all attendees at the time of purchase. We will be in touch closer to the event date to secure attendee details.
2024 Asia Game Changer Icon
Poh Ling Yeow, 2024 Icon Award Winner
A recognised Malaysian-Australian chef, artist, author, and TV personality, Poh was the second runner-up in the very first Season of MasterChef Australia 2009. Since then, she has had three seasons of her own ABC show “Poh’s Kitchen”, two seasons of ABC’s “Poh & Co”, two seasons of “Adam & Poh” on SBS, a subject of “Australian Story”, hosted two seasons of Network 9’s Snackmasters Australia and competed a second time in MasterChef “Back To Win” in 2019. In 2020, she won an AACTA award for “Favourite Contestant of the Decade” and is now on the panel of four judges on Network 10 & Endemol Shine’s international juggernaut.
Celebrity Chef
Victor Liong, Chef and Owner, Lee Ho Fook
Victor Liong arrived in Australia from Brunei at age six and grew up immersed in the multicultural energy of Sydney. He Is an alumnus of the kitchens at Galileo and Mr Wong, and his time at the acclaimed Marque restaurant remains a significant influence on his approach to this day. In 2013 Victor opened his first restaurant, Lee Ho Fook, in Melbourne. Originally located in Collingwood, Lee Ho Fook rapidly grew in popularity and in 2015 moved to a larger site on Duckboard Place in the CBD, where its loyal following enjoys Victor's unique and creative new-style Chinese dishes.
Host and MC
Urvi Majumdar, Comedian, Writer, Producer and Actor
Urvi Majumdar is a comedian, writer, producer and actor born in Kolkata, India but raised in Melbourne. She has performed to sold-out crowds across the country at The Melbourne International, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane Comedy Festivals. Urvi has previously written regularly for Channel Ten’s The Project and now regularly writes for ABC’s The Weekly with Charlie Pickering. You can see Urvi in ABC’s critically acclaimed series Fisk, Guy Montgomery’s Spelling Bee, Channel Ten’s Cheap seats, SBS’s Celebrity Letters & Numbers and as a supporting lead character in both seasons of Channel 9’s Metrosexual.
Urvi’s online series ‘Urvi Went to an All Girls’ School was created as a part of the highly competitive Screen Australia and ABC Freshblood initiative and is available to watch on youtube now! Urvi’s team were selected into the next round of Freshblood in which they are creating a 30-minute pilot, to air on ABC in April 2025.
Performer
Elle Shimada, Violinist, Producer, Vocalist
Tokyo-raised and Melbourne-based violinist, producer, and vocalist has rapidly gained acclaim for her emotive and genre-defying music. A genre-defying pioneer, Shimada instantly draws the audience in the zone with electrifying live performances that seamlessly integrate powerful choreography and music. With immense creativity, she effortlessly transitions between dance music of high production value and fearless vulnerability. Shimada is an artist to watch, continuously pushing the boundaries of music and performance.
Intertwined with feminism, cultural curiosity, and a political mindset, she utilizes the uniting power of music to cultivate dance-floor-activism that is inclusive, honest, and raw, championing a movement that fosters connection and dialogue.
This event is supported by the Victorian Government and in partnership with the National Gallery of Victoria.
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