Myanmar student wins Asean arts competition
Aye Myat Thandar Aung, the second-year student of the National University of Arts and Culture, is named the first-prize winner of the Asean Youth Competition on Arts and Human Rights held this month in Indonesia.
With her watercolour painting titled "Equality and Peace for Everyone", the 20-year student beat other pieces belonging to Asean youth from other seven countries aged 18 to 25 years old.
At the award presentation ceremony held in Jakarta on Monday, she took home the US$2,000 prize money. She is not yet available for an interview.
"We held an art contest within our university first before entering the competition,” said Thit Lwin Soe, head of department of the National University of Arts and Culture (Yangon).
A panel of judges comprising officials from Myanmar Traditional Arts and Artisans Organisation, teachers from the National University of Arts and Culture, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs selected Aye Myat Thandar Aung's painting titled "Equality and Peace for Everyone" for the Asean Youth Competition. This was the first time Myanmar participated in the competition.
“After we voted on the best piece, we submitted it through the Asean Committee for Culture and Information for Myanmar this month,” added Thit Lwin Soe.
Students from the National University of Arts and Culture have also won the first place in a youth art competition held in Turkey in 2012.
Youth in eight Asean countries submitted their artworks for the regional competition.
The “ASEAN Youth Competition on Arts and Human Rights” was organised by the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), to raise awareness about human rights and the Asean Human Rights Declaration (AHRD) among youths and encourage their participation in raising awareness on the promotion and protection of human rights.
The competition was held in two rounds - the first at the national level and the second at the regional level. The winner at the national level receives a cash prize of $450. The overall regional winner is entitled to $2,000.
The artworks must represent the AHRD and explain the human rights values contained within the artwork through a short narrative. The A2-sized pieces can be completed with water colours, acrylic paints, crayons or colour pencils. Importantly, they must be an original work, never submitted or published before.
Winners at the national level
Indonesia - Danang Adi Wiratama, 19
Lao PDR – Souchinada Kieoaphone, 24
Malaysia - Nur Fatin binti Kamarudin, 18
Myanmar - Aye Myat Thandar AUNG, 20
Philippines - Manuel Kristoffer M. Kang, 25
Singapore - Khairul Azri Bin Uthli, 19
Thailand - Subannakrit Krikum
Vietnam - Tran Anh Cuong, 18
