No prizes will be handed out in this year's annual fundraising event L-Istrina, President George Abela said yesterday.

The annual event, which is heavily criticised every year for using gifts to lure people into donating money, will this year be organised by the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF) - the main beneficiary of the event.

In the past years, the organiser of the event was Public Broadcasting Services Ltd, which will this year take on the role of the broadcaster of the fundraising marathon. In the past 15 years, more than €14 million had been collected.

PBS will also be airing adverts free of charge while private stations can also transmit the event through feeds.

Dr Abela said that philanthropic organisations could submit requests for assistance and a board appointed by the MCCF would then evaluate the requests to choose the beneficiaries.

"We will live beautiful moments of giving without expecting anything in return. It should be a day of generosity when the people unite for a common aim," Dr Abela said.

The President said that although gifts to be given out during the activity were not going to be accepted, white goods like cookers, fridges and washing machines to be distributed to people in need throughout the year would continue to be received.

L-Istrina will this year be held on December 26 and will be broadcast from the Lufthansa Technik hangar.