Yahoo! launches third edition of OMG! Awards in the Philippines

The best of Pinoy talent to be showcased in year’s biggest awards night

Yahoo! Philippines launched the third edition of the Yahoo! OMG! Awards by announcing this year’s nominees list. This year’s hottest celebrity awards, OMG! is unique as it is powered by fans. Yahoo! OMG! Awards honors the Philippines’ favorite celebs, emerging stars and dedicated fans in the field of music, film, radio and television, who have been most-searched on Yahoo! Philippines and who have caught the attention of the Filipino audience over the past year. For the first time, the Yahoo! OMG! Awards is co-presented by McCafé.

The awards ceremony which will take place on July 19 includes 106 nominees in 22 categories. The event gives users a chance to vote for their favorite stars on Yahoo!’s popular entertainment news site -- OMG! -- and see them up close and personal during a star-studded, glamorous evening.

“In the last two years, Yahoo! OMG! Awards has received a phenomenal response in the country, drawing the Philippines’ brightest stars, celebrities, and fans alike. The success of Yahoo! OMG! Awards once again underscores that when it comes to creating daily connections to news and entertainment content, Yahoo! is the online users’ destination of choice.” says Kate Delos Reyes, Country Manager and Country Editor of Yahoo! Philippines.

She added, “Filipinos are passionate about all things showbiz and this is exactly what Yahoo! caters to with OMG!. We give our users the latest and greatest about the local entertainment scene. The Yahoo! OMG! Awards is our way of giving back to our users by offering them a platform to support and rally behind their favorite stars.”

Mike Constantino, Deputy Country Sales Director added, “The phenomenal advertiser interest around OMG! is a strong testament of the way Yahoo! connects brands to their audiences. We are very excited to have marquee brands like McCafé, Magnum, Cream Silk and Colgate Optic White partner with us for the event.”

A look through this year’s nominees shows that stars rock but fans rule. Unlike any other awards event, fan support is recognized through the Fan Club of the Year. Classic favorites are included in the roster but there are a few surprising additions including: Ryzza Mae Dizon of Eat Bulaga and now host of her own daily talk show, The Ryzza Mae Show; Xaijian Jaranilla, Mutya Orquia and Xyriel Manabat from ABS-CBN and Mona Louise Rey from GMA for the Yahoo! OMG! Child Star of the Year.

Two films featuring John Lloyd Cruz -- “The Mistress” and “It Takes a Man and a Woman” -- are vying for the OMG! Movie of the Year along with Brillante Mendoza’s “Thy Womb”, Star Cinema’s “Sisterakas” and “One More Try”.

There are even offbeat choices for Love Team of the Year, actual celebrity team-ups fighting for the crown with the fictional couple played by Jodi Sta. Maria and Richard Yap on ABS-CBN’s “Please Be Careful with My Heart”, Maya and Sir Chief. There are some electrifying showdowns to look forward to and this year’s Yahoo! OMG! Awards promises to be larger than ever.

Delos Reyes encouraged everyone to participate, “Make sure you support your favorite celebrities. You can vote everyday and even get your family and friends to do the same.”

Voting for nominees is open online and via text messaging OMG HELP to 2910 to all networks from now until July 12, 2013. The purple carpet awards night, set for July 19, will take place at Mall of Asia Arena. Tickets are available free at any SM Cinema outlet.

Users can follow the Awards on Twitter at @yahooph #omgawardsph and “Like” its Facebook page on http://www.facebook.com/yahoophilippines; regular updates will be featured on Yahoo! OMG! site at http://ph.omg.yahoo.com.

To check the list of nominees, check them here.