KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 25 — The Usaha Tegas Heritage Art Competition once again saw numerous talented young artists showing off their creativity on canvas for the 19th year recently.

The annual competition, formerly known as the Tanjong Heritage National Level Art Competition, attracted 26 art institutions from across the country.

For the first time in its history, the competition also received entries from Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.

From a record-breaking 1,531 entries, 595 were shortlisted for judging.

Ultimately, 24 pieces by 23 contestants made the cut by winning a total of RM59,500 in cash prizes.

First prize winner for the Charcoal/Pencil/Ink/Oil Pastel category, Norfatihah Yusof from the Universiti Sains Malaysia showcases her artwork.

Dasein Academy of Art once again emerged as the competition’s most successful institution, taking home six prizes.

Atec Academy also proved itself as a worthy contestant, winning five prizes.

In terms of individual accomplishments, one of the participants, Tan Siew San from Dasein Academy of Art, stood heads and shoulders above her fellow contenders by walking away with two prizes.

Pang Lai Yin bagged the first prize for the Watercolour category with this artwork entitled Old Penang.

The Watercolour category saw Pang Lai Yin of Alfa International College emerging victorious while Norfatihah Yusof from the Universiti Sains Malaysia took home first prize for the Charcoal/Pencil/Ink/Oil Pastel category.

On the other hand, Chong Shin Yen of Atec Academy bagged the top prize for the Mixed Media category while Muhammad Amirul Yazid from Universiti Teknologi Mara, Shah Alam topped the Print Making category.

Muhammad Amirul Yazid's artwork titled, 'Panggilan Dari Mama' bagged the first prize for the Print Making category.

Muhammad Amirul, who took home the first prize for his emotive and graphically balanced silk screen composition titled "Panggilan Dari Mama”, said he was delighted to be chosen as the top category winner.

"This victory is very special for me as the artwork I developed was an ode to my late mother and my roots,” he said in a press release from Usaha Tegas.

In an effort to grow nationwide interest in arts, the competition also garnered a total of seven standalone entries for the first time in its history.

Usaha Tegas chief operating officer Lim Ghee Keong said they were pleased to continue showcasing Malaysia’s heritage through art, while inspiring the new generation of talented young artists.

"As a nation of multiple cultures, we have been shaped by our diverse roots and it heartens us to see so much of our heritage honoured and commemorated on canvas today,” he added.

"Our identity as a nation is shaped not only by physical heritage structures such as architectural relics, ornate building façades and heirloom antiques but also by our somewhat more intangible, cultural heritage.”

Hasanul Isyraf Idris, an award-winning member of Penang’s Run Amok art collective, assesses the short-listed artworks.

He was joined by leading conservation architect and cultural heritage expert in Malaysia Laurence Loh, art and heritage adviser Dr Kim Phaik Lah, award-winning printmaker Juhari Said and award-winning artist Hasanul Isyraf Idris.

New to the panel of judges this year was Parama Nathan, who has been actively involved in the conservation of heritage buildings in Singapore and Penang for over 30 years.