Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
Tuesday, 18 November 2025 03:50 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
In a groundbreaking moment for Sri Lanka’s creative and event marketing industry, Ride Colombo 2025 has been honoured with the Platinum Award at the prestigious MarCom Awards 2025, under the category of Strategic Communications – Digital Marketing Campaign.
This marks the first time in history that a Sri Lankan initiative has won a MarCom Award, setting a new benchmark for excellence in digital communication and creative strategy.
The MarCom Awards, hosted by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (AMCP) in the USA, is one of the largest and most respected creative competitions in the world, receiving over 6,000 entries from 40+ countries. Ride Colombo’s victory not only places Sri Lanka on the global stage for marketing innovation but also showcases the country’s growing reputation for socially driven, high-impact event storytelling.
“This win is not just ours, it’s for Sri Lanka. We’ve shown that authentic storytelling, community engagement, and strategic creativity can make global waves when driven by purpose,” said FEEL LANKA Founder Madhura Dharmarathne – the idea partner of Ride Colombo 2025.
Ride Colombo 2025 was Sri Lanka’s first and largest all-women cycling celebration, held on International Women’s Day at Galle Face Green.
Organised by FEEL LANKA in collaboration with Across Ceylon Ltd., the event empowered over 250 women riders, supported by 100 volunteers from Rotaract and Leo Clubs, and representatives from 10 nationalities.
Built around themes of empowerment, sustainability, and active living, the campaign blended physical celebration with a powerful digital movement. The initiative gained more than 3.3 million impressions, 795,000 engagements, and 481,000 unique reaches across platforms, making it one of the most successful digital community campaigns in Sri Lanka’s history.
Beyond celebrating women, Ride Colombo 2025 stood as a national movement championing women in tourism. The event donated 100% of its registration proceeds to the Women in Tourism charity, supporting skills development and empowerment initiatives for women across Sri Lanka’s travel and hospitality sectors. Endorsed by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the event gained further national recognition. Through partnerships with organisations such as Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT), WCIC, the Tourism Department of Uva Wellassa University, and Pink Wheels, the event showcased how collaboration can drive meaningful and lasting social change.
The award-winning campaign, developed in partnership with Maya Hive as the official digital media partner, reimagined how event marketing can fuse digital engagement, influencer storytelling, and CSR-driven communication. From immersive city activations to influencer collaborations and a dedicated podcast feature, Ride Colombo set a new platinum standard for integrated campaign strategy in Sri Lanka.
According to feedback collected post-event, participants rated their experience 4.57/5 in overall satisfaction and 4.61/5 in Net Promoter Score, with 84% feeling celebrated and empowered, and 100% pledging to return for Ride Colombo 2026.
Following this success, the Ride Colombo team has announced Ride Colombo 2026, to be held on 7 March, 2026, in celebration of International Women’s Day. Organised by FEEL LANKA in partnership with LIVANTIS, the upcoming edition aims to host over 1,000 women participants from across the globe and further strengthen Sri Lanka’s position as a safe, sustainable, and inclusive travel destination. Building on the spirit of “My Ride. My Voice. Wheels of Change,” Ride Colombo continues to create a platform for women’s voices to be heard, valued, and celebrated in the way they truly deserve, especially within the cultural context of South Asia.
The MarCom Awards celebrate outstanding achievements in marketing and communication, recognising creativity, quality, and resourcefulness across industries. The Platinum Award, earned by only about 16% of entries worldwide, signifies the highest level of international excellence.
