UOB Painting of the Year Opens for Submissions 

Calling all artists in Malaysia! One of Southeast Asia’s most prestigious annual art awards, the 10th UOB Painting of the Year competition is now open for digital submissions till October 11. 

Open to all artists in Malaysia (citizens or permanent residents only), the flagship art programme is an initiative by the United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Berhad (UOB Malaysia) aimed to uncover and nurture artistic talent across the country.

This year, UOB Malaysia is inviting emerging and established artists to share their impressions on the theme of ‘Solidarity’ and the importance of staying united in the face of adversity. The Bank hopes to draw out artwork on canvas that showcases the resilience of the human spirit in overcoming COVID-19-related challenges.

There are no age restrictions for either the ‘Established Artist’ or ‘Emerging Artist’ category. Each participant may enter his or her artwork (a maximum of three paintings) in only one of the two categories. Artworks will be judged based on these criteria: message on solidarity, creativity, composition and technique. 

Paintings in acrylic, batik, Chinese brush, collage, crayon, ink, mixed media, oil, watercolour or other media are accepted. Collages, two-dimensional embossed paintings and three-dimensional paintings are also accepted, subjected to a maximum thickness of 5 centimeters (inclusive of frames).

Paintings are recommended to be within 180 centimetres in height and width (inclusive of frames). Framing is optional.

Bear in mind that the painting submitted must be original and should not have been created more than two years prior to the submission date. Participants should not submit artworks that have been offered for sale, published, or publicly exhibited.

Meanwhile, video artworks, installations and sculptures will not be accepted.

All entries are to be submitted electronically via www.UOBandArt.com by 11.59pm on October 11. The winner will be announced at a virtual award ceremony in November. Besides walking away with RM100,000, the winner stands a chance to compete for the prestigious UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year award in Singapore (worth an additional US$10,000) as well as win a one-month residency programme at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum in Japan.

Wong Kim Choong, Chief Executive Officer of UOB Malaysia explained, “The beauty of art is that it transcends language, culture and geography. It also has the ability to bring people together. Through the UOB Painting of the Year, we hope to lift the community spirit through the appreciation of art, especially during these trying times.”

For further details of the competition, visit www.UOBandArt.com. Follow UOB on Facebook and Instagram for more updates. For enquiries, email bpcc@UOB.com.my.