Organizer Information
United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOBM) is the Malaysian subsidiary of United Overseas Bank Limited, a leading bank in Asia and a longstanding patron of Southeast Asian art. UOB's involvement in art began in the 1970s with a collection of paintings by Singaporean artists; today the UOB Art Collection holds more than 2,500 works, primarily by established and emerging Southeast Asian artists. Driven by a mission to encourage talented artists in their creative pursuits, UOB launched the Painting of the Year competition in Singapore in 1982, making it the longest-running art competition in Singapore and one of the most prestigious in Southeast Asia; it was extended to Malaysia in 2011, and the competition today also runs in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Past Malaysian winners include artists such as Hasanul Isyraf Idris, Chong Kim Chiew, and Chok Yue Zan, several of whom have gone on to gain international recognition and exhibit across Asia.
Title & Description
2026 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) Competition
The UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) competition, organized by United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd, is a national painting competition open to Malaysian citizens and permanent residents. Entrants compete in one of two categories — Emerging Artist or Established Artist — and submissions are judged on message, creativity, composition, and technique by a panel of local and/or overseas artists, art critics, curators, or other creative professionals appointed by UOBM. The Malaysian country winner goes on to represent Malaysia in the regional UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year competition, alongside winners from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, and one of the five country winners will additionally be selected for an art residency programme through a judges' interview process.
Categories
- Painting
- Visual Arts
- Craft
Eligibility
- Open to Malaysian citizens and Malaysian Permanent Residents only
- Participants who hold citizenship of another UOB-organizing country (Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) must enter the competition in their country of citizenship, where available, rather than Malaysia
- Minimum age of 16 years as at July 31, 2026; participants aged 18 and under require parental or legal guardian consent
- Each participant may enter only one of the two categories (Emerging Artist or Established Artist) and may submit only one entry
- Emerging Artist category: open to aspiring artists pursuing art education, taking first steps toward an art career, or painting for pleasure
- Established Artist category: open to experienced professionals who meet at least three of five criteria — current or past representation by a commercial art gallery; artworks sold independently or gallery-assisted; participation in at least one group or solo exhibition; receipt of a grant or commission from a commercial entity, institution, or organization; or receipt of an art-related award, locally or internationally
- Accepted media: acrylic, batik, Chinese brush, collage, crayon, ink, mixed media, oil, watercolour, or other painting media; digital artworks, installations, and sculptures are not accepted
- Collages, two-dimensional embossed paintings, and three-dimensional paintings are acceptable, subject to a maximum thickness of 5 cm including frames
- Paintings must be original and created no more than two years prior to the submission date
- Artworks previously awarded or acknowledged in other art competitions may not be submitted
- Paintings must be within 180 cm in height and width, excluding frames (or combined dimensions if the work consists of multiple paintings)
Program Benefits & Awards
Established Artist Category
- UOB Painting of the Year Award: RM100,000
- Gold Award: RM45,000
- Silver Award: RM35,000
- Bronze Award: RM22,000
- UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Award (regional prize among the five country winners): SGD13,000
- Residency Programme: one of the five country winners will be selected via judges' interview for an art residency
Emerging Artist Category
- Most Promising Artist of the Year Award: RM16,000
- Gold Award: RM11,000
- Silver Award: RM8,000
- Bronze Award: RM6,000
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 July 2026
- Shortlisted Artwork Physical Submission: August 21–23, 2026
- Finalist Notification: on or before August 26, 2026
- Non-Finalist Entry Return/Collection: August 25–26, 2026
- Award Ceremony: September 2026 (exact date at UOBM's discretion)
- UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year Award Ceremony: October 2026, Singapore (exact date at UOB Group's discretion)
Location
Malaysia
Additional Details
- Judging is final, and no correspondence regarding the judges' decisions will be entertained before, during, or after the competition; UOBM reserves the right not to award any prize if entries do not meet required standards
- A proxy may submit or collect a shortlisted/submitted painting on the participant's behalf, provided a signed authorisation letter and a copy of the participant's passport or identity card are provided; UOBM may reject proxy submissions or collections that lack these documents
- Finalists must attend the award ceremony in September 2026 or risk disqualification
- Winners must grant UOBM an unlimited, worldwide, royalty-free, exclusive license to exhibit, archive, and reproduce images of their winning entries, including in brochures, calendars, catalogues, greeting cards, and websites
- All award-winning entries, along with supporting documentation, become the sole property of UOB Group; participants are advised to photograph their submissions for their own records before submitting
- Winners must participate in future promotional activities (interviews, photo/video shoots, testimonials, social media posts, public appearances) on a voluntary, unpaid basis
- Non-winning entries not collected within the specified window become UOBM's property and may be retained, used, or disposed of at UOBM's discretion
- The competition is governed by Malaysian law, with non-exclusive jurisdiction of Malaysian courts
- The English version of the rules and regulations prevails in case of any discrepancy with other language versions