KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 — The 23rd edition of the Usaha Tegas Heritage art competition saw 25 Malaysian student artists taking home prizes for their artworks yesterday at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Kuala Lumpur.

The annual art competition, sponsored by UTSB Management Sdn Bhd, celebrates emerging young Malaysian talents in schools, universities and colleges.

The competition was divided into five art categories: oil/acrylic, watercolour, mixed media, charcoal/pencil/ink and printmaking.

This year's art competition focused on the Malaysian Heritage theme with a special emphasis on the nation’s intangible cultural heritage.

The theme was also in line with Malaysia’s entry into the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage under Unesco for the 2022-2026 term.

Speaking at the ceremony, the competition chairman Henry Tan said for two decades the art contest successfully nurtured artistic talent, recognised exceptional creativity and showcased Malaysia's diverse and rich cultural heritage through the eyes of emerging artists.

"We are immensely pleased to observe the enduring appeal of traditional visual arts among today's digital generation, even in the face of AI technology and digital art's pervasive influence.

"We are committed to fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of art through our annual competition, and confident that our commitment will continue to nurture this positive trend.”

This year, the competition saw a total of 345 physical artwork submissions from across the country including Sabah and Sarawak.

The submissions came from 48 public and private institutions including nine secondary schools.

A panel of five judges then selected 25 winning artworks for this year's competition.

The judges were Bibi Chew, Suridah Jalaludin, Param Nathan, Henry Tan and Syahrul Niza Ahmad Zaini from the National Art Gallery.

The first prize winner in each category received RM8,000 in cash.

The second and third runner-ups each receive RM3,000 and RM2,000 in cash respectively.

Those in fourth and five place also received RM500 consolation prizes.

Additionally, all winners received an award certificate and RM500 worth of TGV Cinemas vouchers.

Sylvernie Belinda from Universiti Malaysia Sabah was excited to see her artwork winning in the Oil/Acrylic category.

The 22-year-old Sabahan said her artwork captures the cultural heritage of her Dusun Tuaran community.

"It's about our costume and cultural heritage.

"I'm shocked and very excited to see my artwork to be selected as a winner for the first time.”

The Usaha Tegas Heritage Art Competition was established in 2001 to provide a platform for aspiring young Malaysian artists to explore and express their understanding and appreciation of our cultural heritage.