NFT Art Competition for Malaysia Day 2022

Digital Penang in collaboration with Malaysian NFT marketplace Pentas.io recently launched an NFT Art Competition themed ‘Wonders of Malaysia.’

It was announced in conjunction with the 2022 Malaysia Day and also the upcoming World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT) and TechFest in September.

The competition is a part of the “A Digital Revolution” event organized by Digital Penang. It is open to all Malaysians from now until 20th August 2022, with cash prizes totaling RM10,000 up for grabs. 

Participants can mint their non-fungible token (NFT) in a variety of art forms, including graphic designs, animations, photographs, videos, and music.

Penang‘s Chief Minister, YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow made the announcement at a press conference alongside Mr. Irsyad Saidin, the founder of Pentas.io, Mr. Zairil Khir Johari, vice chairman of Digital Penang, and Tony Yeoh, the CEO of Digital Penang.

The competition will be judged on originality, creativity, theme, skills, and concept. The panel of judges which included Dr. Norfarizah Binti Mohd Bakhir from Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Arts, Mr. Moonjay, BadApe Limited Director, and Mr. David Loh, a photojournalist and award-winning publisher were also present at the launch.

“We believe that the theme ‘Wonders of Malaysia’ is timely to spread love and advocate unity. In line with the Penang2030 vision, we invite all Malaysians to share the beauty of Malaysia through their lenses in the form of digital art” Chief Minister, Chow Kon Yeow said.

Digital Penang, is an initiative by the Penang government to accelerate efforts and pursuit opportunities in the digital economy as well as promote a digitally engaged society.

Its CEO, Tony Yeoh said the organisation aims to create awareness, and educate the communities on digital art through NFTs.

“This is in line with our mission to strengthen the digital ecosystem for Penang, and we hope through our strategic partnerships with Pentas – a Malaysian start-up that has established a marketplace for artists and start-ups; and University of Malaysia’s school of Arts, we can create a sustainable ecosystem in the creative and digital arts industries.”, said Tony.

Pentas.io CEO Irsyad Saidin said the ASEAN region is leading when it comes to NFT adoption. 

“According to last year’s survey conducted by a Singaporean research-based firm, Malaysia stands at number 3 in the world among the readiness to adopt NFT, right behind the Philippines and Thailand. This sentiment has been further affirmed by Pentas first quarter of 2022 page view that recorded a staggering 13 million page views.” Irsyad said.

Selected NFT artworks from the Competition will be showcased at an exclusive 4-day NFT Art Exhibition at the Setia Spice Arena. 

More than 50 digital assets from local NFT owners and projects will also be on display in a physical setting, at the exhibition that will be open to the public.

Members of the public are also welcome to attend the ‘A Digital Revolution: DeFi | NFT | Metaverse | Web3’ Conference for free.

The conference, which will be held at the Setia Spice Arena on September 16, will feature speakers from CoinGecko, Pentas.io, MX Global, BadApe.io, Seetizens Plus, and more.