MR D.I.Y. recognizes artistic talents in Malaysia

 MR D.I.Y. showcases a breadth of emerging artistic talent at inaugural art competition

Says the future of Malaysian arts shines bright

Adrian Ong, MR. D.I.Y. Group CEO (right), presenting the Grand Prize of RM 10,000 to Mohd Syazwan Bin Abd Rahim, winner of MR. D.I.Y. Art Competition (left).

Malaysia’s future in the arts is shining bright, says home improvement retailer MR D.I.Y Group [M] Berhad, judging from the breadth of talent showcased at its recently-concluded inaugural MR D.I.Y. Art Competition.

The 2022 edition of the competition, themed ‘Kita Jaga Kita. What’s Next Malaysia?’, called on Malaysian artists to capture, celebrate, and embrace the true spirit of togetherness encapsulated by the #KitaJagaKita rallying cry that emerged during the COVID19 pandemic, and to interpret how that spirit would take Malaysia forward as a nation. 

The winners of MR. D.I.Y. Art Competition 2022

The competition was launched on 3 March 2022 and ran till 5 May 2022, attracting thousands of entries from all over Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak. 

At a prize-giving ceremony held in 1 Utama Shopping Centre today, the company awarded over RM30,000 worth of prizes to 21 deserving young talents who were judged to be the best of the best amongst those who participated. 

The submissions were judged by an esteemed panel of judges which included celebrated award-winning artists Fauzan Omar, Safrizal Sharir, and Leong Mei Yin, as well as Bingley Sim, a renowned art collector, and critic, who has been on the panel of a number of art competitions.

Let's take a look at some of the winners with their mock cheques.

At the judging event held at the retailer’s headquarters in Seri Kembangan, Selangor, Mohd Syazwan Bin Abd Rahim, 28, from Shah Alam emerged as the Grand Prize winner with his artwork ‘Upside Down’, taking home RM10,000 in cash. The Judges’ Pick Award, which recognises ‘Bersama-sama, Together We Are Stronger’, went to Koo Yean Ni, 28, Subang Jaya, while Nur Ain Amirah Binti Mohd Nazir, 23, Kelantan, ‘Kahwin Era Pandemik’ received the CEO’s Choice Award.  The former received RM6,000 in cash, whilst the latter took home RM4,000 in cash. The retailer also awarded five recipients in each of the following categories -  MR D.I.Y. Young Talent, the People’s Choice Award, the Special Mention Award, and MR D.I.Y. Junior Talent (Primary / Secondary).

Check out some of the beautiful work of art!

Can you guess which is my favoutite?

This one below!

Commenting on the outcome of the annual competition, MR D.I.Y. Group Chief Executive Officer Adrian Ong said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for all Malaysians, but it also brought out the best in many. Over the past two years, we have witnessed countless occasions when Malaysians have stepped forward to help each other, distribute food and necessities, care for one another, offer jobs and financial assistance, and share burdens – giving rise to the rallying cry #KitaJagaKita. With Malaysia now entering the endemic phase, it is the perfect time to capture this Malaysian spirit of togetherness for posterity, and look forward to what lies ahead. 

“The MR D.I.Y. Art Competition aims to cultivate an appreciation for Malaysian art, which in turn will inspire a rich and diverse creative ecosystem.  Malaysia has a great pool of creative talents, but there aren’t many platforms for them to showcase their abilities to a wider audience. As a homegrown Malaysian brand, MR D.I.Y wants to provide a sustainable platform for this talent to be nurtured and grown;  it is one of the many ways we seek to add value to Malaysia and the lives of Malaysians. We hope many other organisations will step up to do the same,” added Ong. 

Ong thanked the organising community and judges for their efforts, who he said had worked tirelessly to ensure a successful programme. 

“This is MR D.I.Y.’s first time organising this competition, and the response has been overwhelming. We are truly heartened by it. Heartiest congratulations to all the winners, and our grateful thanks to all who participated.  We look forward to welcoming more such submissions at future events,” said Ong. 

The MR D.I.Y. Art Competition is one of several initiatives MR D.I.Y. has launched as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.   The retailer also holds an annual DIY Made Simple competition for secondary school students, which is designed to promote a do-it-yourself culture amongst Malaysian students.  The DIY Made Simple competition is currently in its sixth year. In December 2021, MR D.I.Y. was admitted to the globally renowned FTSE4Good Index, a reflection of the home improvement retailer’s efforts to continuously make a positive impact on the communities in which they operate in.  

For more information on MR D.I.Y., visit its website,  www.mrdiy.com, and social media, Facebook, and Instagram.

Winners of MR D.I.Y. Art Competition 2022 

No	Category	Name	Location
1	Grand Prize - RM10,000	Mohd Syazwan Bin Abd Rahim	Individual
2	Judges Pick Award - RM6,000	Koo Yean Ni	Dasein Academy Of Art
3	CEO’s Choice Award - RM4,000	Nur Ain Amirah Binti Mohd Nazir	Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
4	MR D.I.Y. Young Talent - RM1,000 each	Natalie Lian Qian Wei	Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
5		Raden Hisbullah	Individual
6		Lau Carmen	Equator College
7		Wong Joo Yee	Equator College
8		Law Siew Poh	Dasein Academy of Art
9	People’s Choice Award - RM800 each	Tan Yi Zhi	ALFA University
10		Low Jia Wen	Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
11		Fong Jia Lok	Dasein Academy of Art
12		Mohamad Nazreen Bin Mohamad Nor	Universiti Teknologi MARA
13		Ngu Mei Cui	Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
14	Special Mention Award - RM500 each	Hia Pei Qin	Equator College
15		Lim Tong Xin	Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA)
16		Pang Yee Wei	Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA)
17		Asha A/P Gopal	Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA)
18		Ho Su San	Equator College
19	MR D.I.Y. Junior Talent (Primary / Secondary) RM200	Sandhea A/P Kumaresan	SMK Bukit Jelutong
20	MR D.I.Y. Junior Talent (Primary / Secondary) RM100 each	Chin Yi Shern	SJKC Lai Meng KL
21		Liew Khai Chun	Individual

About MR D.I.Y. Group (M) Berhad

MR D.I.Y. Group (M) Berhad is a home-grown enterprise with more than 950 stores nationwide across three brands (MR. D.I.Y., MR. DOLLAR & MR. TOY) and in Brunei. The home improvement retailer has been dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of its valued customers by offering convenience at all of its stores nationwide and online at www.mrdiy.com.my.

All MR D.I.Y. stores are managed directly and the company often works in collaboration with other mass merchandise retailers or owners of malls or shopfront properties. MR D.I.Y. stores offer a wide selection of — approximately 18,000 SKUs — across 5 major categories, namely hardware; household and furnishing; electrical; stationery and sports equipment products; and others (comprising amongst others toys, car accessories, jewellery, cosmetics, food and beverage items, and health and personal care).

The company strives to always put customers first by operating an innovative business that is flexible when it comes to providing a wide variety of products, good quality, and value-for-money, holding true to its company motto: “ALWAYS LOW PRICES”.