Art prize returns to aid disadvantaged kids
Winning artworks from around South-east Asia will be auctioned off for BT’s charity
SUPPORTED by The Business Times, the fundraising art contest for youths aged 13 to 19 returns bigger and better than before.
The inaugural 2021 edition of the 13-19 Art Prize was open to youths in Singapore only. But the 2022 edition is open to youths from all around South-east Asia. The cash prizes are pegged at S$800 for the gold prizes, S$500 for silver, S$300 for bronze, and S$100 for merit. There is no limit to the number of winners in each category.
The winning artworks will then be auctioned online to raise funds for The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF), the newspaper’s charity which helps artistically talented children from underprivileged homes pursue arts courses for free.
There are 2 competition categories: Digital Artworks and Canvas Artworks. The first category is open to teenagers across South-east Asia. The second category is open to teenagers in Singapore only, due to the challenging logistics of collecting canvas-based art from across the region for judging purposes.
Since registration opened last month, the contest has already attracted 117 teenagers from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Approximately 70 registrants are from Singapore, 28 are from Indonesia, and the rest are from the other countries. Submissions are still coming in.
Chong Huai Seng, founder of The Culture Story and chairman of Family Office For Arts, chairs the 13-19 Art Prize 2022 Advisory Committee. He says: “The recent pandemic has shown that digital technology has allowed us to cross borders and connect with one another more easily. It has also shown how important it has been for us to continually remain connected with our neighbours. As such, it is an inevitable development for the Digital Artwork category to reach out to the region.
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He hopes that entries from the region “would give our youths insights into the art scenes of their neighbours, and the themes and styles that their peers are addressing. Opening up this section to the region, we believe, will eventually help youths to get connected with one another, be aware of their peers and, hopefully through this competition, build something together for the future.”
Launched in 2021, the 13-19 Art Prize was conceived and organised by not-for-profit arts and culture charity, TRCL, to recognise and celebrate young art talents in Singapore. TRCL also wants to impart to the young the values of giving-back to society. TRCL has managed BT BAF since 2005.
The first 13-19 Art Prize in 2021 saw teenagers addressing a wide range of issues, from the challenges of living in a pandemic, to the generational rift between family members. Other works depicted utopian worlds, joyful celebrations and creative pursuits.
Clara Peh, founder of NFT Asia and curator at Appetite, is a member of the 13- 19 Art Prize Advisory Committee 2022. She says: “It is exciting to see competitions for youths, such as the 13-19 Art Prize, expand its reach from locally in Singapore to the region. I hope the expanded reach will encourage more youths in South-east Asia to discover and develop their passion in digital art and to consider more and different ways of creating artworks with an expanded set of tools.”
The other members of the 13- 19 Art Prize Advisory Committee 2022 are Kevin Troyano Cuturi of Cuturi Gallery, Jimmy Chua of Chryse Fine Art, Lai Siew Yong of Raffles Girls’ School, Tan See Kia of Nanyang Academy of Fine Art, TRCL board member Genii Koh, and Helmi Yusof of The Business Times.
Young artists interested in participating in the contest must register on https://trcl.sg/13-19-art-prize/ before Sep 10, 2022. Artworks must be submitted between Sep 15 and Sep 22. Digital artworks can be sent online, but canvas artworks must be taken to the TRCL office at 10 Square in Orchard Central. A panel comprising well-known art professionals will judge the entries based on their concept, originality, aesthetic quality (design, composition and colour combination) and technical skill. The announcement of winners will be made on Oct 7, 2022.
For full details of the contest, visit https://www.trcl.sg/13-19-art-prize
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