The Award received recognition from the Government and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (now Tun) allowed the Award to be known henceforth as “Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award”. Due to overwhelming participation, the Award changed from a yearly format to an 18 month basis format.
The new cycle started with 35 participants. Fairchild Semiconductor (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd scored the hight but with an Exceptional Achievement.