A platform to prove yourself
IF you aspire to be an artist or a designer, now is your chance to prove to yourself you are up for that. Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA) has launched its 30th Nationwide Art & Design Competition 2015. This year, scholarships and cash prizes worth over RM300,000 await.
Initiated in 1985, the competition is held annually to promote art and design and encourage the pursuit of art and design as a career. Winners will receive scholarships for any of the six art and design Diploma programmes offered at MIA.
This year, three interesting topics have been set – Natural Disaster (Bencana Alam), Year 2014 In Review (Imbas Kembali Tahun 2014) and Playground of Imagination (Alam Imaginasi).
It is open to Malaysian secondary school students from Form 4 to Form 6 and Chinese Senior Middle 1 to 3. Ten full scholarships coupled with a cash prize of RM1,000 will be awarded to the top 10 winners. Three half scholarships together with a cash prize of RM500 will also be given out.
Hoe Shu Yi, a year 2013 scholarship recipient, was pleasantly surprised to win a full scholarship. She is currently pursuing her Diploma in Interior Design.
“The learning environment in MIA is inspiring and motivating. We are always encouraged to think out of the box and beyond – very crucial in discovering our talents,” she shared.
Abdul Safar Talib was a winner of the competition in 2012. Besides receiving much support from his secondary school teacher, Abdul Safar also challenged himself to participate in bigger scale competitions.
“I feel very proud to be able to compete with students from all over Malaysia. This competition gives young people the opportunity to show their hidden talents and winners can help lessen their parents’ financial burden,” he said.
The MIA 30th Nationwide Art & Design Competition is now open for entries. Deadline for preliminary round submission is April 27 whereby contestants are required to submit their work online at
The preliminary entries will be judged and parts will be selected for review. The original artwork of selected entries must be sent to MIA for review. Finalists will be shortlisted thereafter. The final competition will be held at MIA campus on June 13. Those interested may obtain more details at www.mia.edu.my/NAC2015 or from their respective secondary schools.
MIA is now open for its new intake, which commences on April 27. For convenience, MIA will extend its counselling hours on Saturday and Sunday from now until April 26 from 9.30am to 4pm.
An exhibition is currently on at MIA’s art gallery, showcasing a wide range of art and design works created by young talents of MIA.
For details, contact MIA at 03-4108 8100 (general line), or 03-4106 4697 (Music Department), or fax queries to 03-4108 8700. Or e-mail registry@mia.edu.my or log on to