The UOB Painting of the Year competition is the flagship art programme of UOB, first held in Singapore in 1982 with the aim of recognising artists in the Southeast Asian region and providing them with the opportunity to showcase their artworks to a wider audience. The competition later expanded to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and in 2023, to Vietnam. It is the longest-running art competition in Singapore and one of the most prestigious competitions in the Southeast Asian region. Since its inception, the competition has discovered over 1,000 artistic talents across the region.
In its first year in Vietnam, the competition attracted the participation of numerous young and professional artists from all over the country. The competition honored 8 talented Vietnamese artists in two categories: Emerging Artist and Established Artist. The highest award, the UOB Painting of the Year, went to Artist Trịnh Minh Tiến with his work "Thủy Phủ" (Water Palace), while the most promising artist award was given to Tạ Duy Tùng for his piece "Trên con đường" (Fly On My Way).
"This prestigious competition is a great opportunity for Vietnamese artists to showcase their talents and be recognised in the international art market, bringing greater value to Vietnamese art." - President of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, Chief Judge Lương Xuân Đoàn shared.
"The UOB Painting of the Year competition has brought value not only from a community perspective but also nurtured potential artistic talents and provided motivation for artists to develop their careers and shine in the region, as well as internationally." - Artist Trịnh Minh Tiến shared.
"The UOB Painting of the Year is a regional-scale competition. I think this is an opportunity for local artists to exchange and learn, as well as a steppingstone to understand more about art in ASEAN countries. The awards from the competition are a huge motivation for young artists like me to continue pursuing their artistic path. It has reignited a strong passion for art in me at the age of 20, something I thought I had forgotten for a long time." - Artist Tạ Duy Tùng shared.
In addition to the UOB Painting of the Year competition, UOB Vietnam also provides opportunities and accompanies Vietnamese artists participating in regional art events. For example, UOB Vietnam sponsored Artist Dương Ngọc Tuấn - the UOB Painting of the Year Vietnam’s Bronze award - to participate in Art Jakarta held in Indonesia in November 2023, and in late March 2024, Artist Trịnh Minh Tiến was sponsored by UOB Vietnam to participate in Art Central held in Hong Kong, where many artistic talents from across Asia gathered.
The UOB Painting of the Year is scheduled to kick off its second year in Vietnam in early May 2024, continuing to provide a platform for Vietnamese artists, especially undiscovered talents, to shine and further develop their careers both domestically and regionally.
