Ipoh Parade held its annual Merdeka Colouring Contest at the mall’s Main Court with their arsenal of colouring equipment and collapsible furniture.
It was a congregation of 589 competitive artists with even more competitive parents, circling just beyond the perimeter of the competition arena, carefully eyeing every stroke of colour painted by their children. The Merdeka Colouring Contest at Ipoh Parade remains as popular and as competitive as ever, and as the nation recently celebrated its 67th year of independence, it has grown to become one of the most highly anticipated events at Ipoh Parade every August.
“We always joke that it’s the parents who are in it more than their children, the actual participants, because they’ve probably invested in expensive colouring equipment and winning a contest such as this would be a good way to earn back some of the investment,” remarked Lim Huey Tyng, Ipoh Parade’s Manager for Advertising and Promotions.
“In truth, the impressive turnout each year is due to our collaboration with our long-term partner, World of Colours, and our network with various art societies around the state, all of which contributed to the increasing scale of this colouring contest every year.”
The prize pool valued at RM9,000 across three age categories is a consistent factor of the contest’s success as well.
“It can get pretty heated sometimes, especially when parents think their children’s submission is deserving of a top spot by the judges,” said Lim.
“Over the years, we even had to increase the number of consolation prize winners in an effort to console the parents, not the participants, for not making it to the top three.”
With over 250 children participating in just Category B, Lim’s team had to allocate space for them on the stage as well, a first when hosting the Merdeka Colouring Contest.
“It’s incredibly exciting, and honestly, quite the workout every year,” joked Lim.
The full list of winners at Ipoh Parade’s Merdeka Colouring Contest are as follows:
Category A (4 – 6 y.o.) Winners:
- Champion: Wong Jie Xin 阮疌昕(6 y.o.)
- 1st Runner Up: Nurfaiqah Raysha binti Muhammad Faizal (6 y.o.)
- 2nd Runner Up: Aisy Zill Yusuf bin Mohd Fairu (5 y.o.)
Category B (7 – 9 y.o.) Winners:
- Champion: Goh Yu Tyan 吴语田(9 y.o.)
- 1st Runner Up: Ching Chee Kei 钟芷棋(9 y.o.)
- 2nd Runner Up: Choong Lok Yi 钟乐儿(8 y.o.)
Category C (10 – 12 y.o.) Winners:
- Champion: Than Jia Qi 唐佳祺(12 y.o.)
- 1st Runner Up: Tan Wei Yin 陈韦荧(10 y.o.)
- 2nd Runner Up: Muhammad Muzaffar bin Mahathir (11 y.o.)
Judges:
- Mr Herman Wong (President of Malaysia Perak Art Society)
- Mr Ba Lee / Lee Hsuan Ba (Artistic Director of Ipoh Cultural Corridor)
- Mr Leon Liew (Art Teacher of Shen Jai High School)
