Samsung director of mobile phones Andrew Cheong handing the top prize to Lau, the one declared to possess the most STAR qualities.

IN

The search was held over three weeks and received close to 1,000 entries from participants in their best STAR poses which were then uploaded to a dedicated Samsung Star website.

The top 21 entries which received the most number of votes from the public then competed against each other at the finals held at Red Box Plus, the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

Helping to judge the competition were local celebrities Steve Yap, Marsha Milan Londoh, Phyllis Sim, Zizan Nin and fashion guru and Moda president Gillian Hung, as well as representatives from sponsors Samsung, Starbucks and Converse.

The 21 finalists were given a pair of Converse sneakers which they had to decorate and show off in front of the judges. Judges took notes on their creativity and personality and selected 10 for the next round where they were given a chance to showcase their talents ranging from singing and dancing to doing the catwalk.

Bryan Lau, 29, was declared the winner and took home a Samsung Star S5233 phone, RM3,000 in cash, a RM1,000 Converse cash voucher and a RM500 Red Box cash voucher.

In second and third place respectively were Patrick Kuah, 21 and Sofia Goh, 23, who each won a Samsung Star S5233 phone, as well as cash and vouchers.

The other finalists took home a Samsung U4 mp3 player each, while those who made it to the second round each received an additional RM100 Converse cash voucher.

There was also a special Converse Star One Potential Award, which comes with a RM500 Converse cash voucher.

Yoon Ki-Heun, managing director of Samsung Malaysia Electronics, said: "The Samsung Star S5233 is all about touch, style and functionality in one single device, and the finalists reflected the true qualities of the phone with their charisma, talent and intelligence." – Anansa Jacob