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• Registration for the second edition of the annual 13-19 Art Prize is now open till 10 September 2022.
• Digital artwork category open to all youths aged 13-19 from across Southeast Asia.
• As a fundraiser, all winning works from the 13-19 Art Prize (both canvas and digital) are exhibited and auctioned to raise funds for The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF).

14 June 2022 – 13-19 Art Prize, Singapore’s only visual arts competition exclusively for youths between 13 and 19 enters its second year by going regional.

From 2022, the 13-19 Art Prize will go beyond Singapore to include talents from Southeast Asia by welcoming entries from youths aged 13-19 residing in the region. The Canvas Artwork Category will remain only open to those residing in Singapore. To date, the Prize has attracted registrants from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Said Mr Chong Huai Seng, founder of Culture Story who is the Chairman of the 13-19 Art Prize 2022 Advisory Committee: “The recent pandemic has shown that digital technology has allowed us to cross borders and connect with one another easier. It has also shown how important it has been for us to continually remain connected with our neighbours.

“As such it is an inevitable development for Digital Artwork category to reach out to the region. We hope that entries from the region would also give our youths insights into the art scene of their region and what are the themes and styles that their peers are addressing. Opening up this section to the region we believe will eventually help youths to get connected with one another, be aware of their peers and hopefully, through this competition build something together for the future.”

Launched in 2021 the art prize was conceived and organised by not-for-profit arts and culture charity, TRCL to recognise and celebrate young art talents in Singapore while also imparting values of giving- back to the community to support their peers from disadvantaged backgrounds through the arts. All winning works from the 13-19 Art Prize (both canvas and digital) will be exhibited and auctioned to raise funds for The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) managed by TRCL which provides arts education without cost to children and youths from underserved communities.

Comprising two categories – Canvas Artwork and Digital Artwork — the inaugural art prize saw 221 entries. The judging panel consisted of local well-known artists and art professionals such as: Mr Ong Kim Seng, Mr Tan Siang Yu, Ms Tan Siuli, and Mr Yeo Tze Yang.

The first edition of the competition saw youths using their artistic talents to spark valuable conversations on the issues of ageing and the impact it has on the human disconnection between the elderly and their family, the gender binary, the pandemic, and its impact on our mental health, as well as key pillars of Singapore’s culture.

As with 2021, the prize-winning works from the Canvas Artwork Category and Digital Artwork Category artworks will be auctioned online, with the latter as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) to raise funds for BT BAF.

Commented Ms Clara Peh, Founder of NFT Asia and Curator at Appetite as well as a member of the 13- 19 Art Prize Advisory Committee 2022: “It is exciting to see competitions for youths, such as the 13-19 Art Prize, expand its reach from locally in Singapore to the region. I hope the expanded reach will encourage more youths in Southeast Asia to discover and develop their passion in digital art and to consider more and different ways of creating artworks with an expanded set of tools.”

There are four main categories of winners for both the Canvas and Digital Artwork Category are: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Merit Prize. Gold winners will receive a cash prize of SGD 800 each, Silver winners SGD 500 each, Bronze winners SGD 300 each, and Merit Prize winners SGD 100 each.

Submissions will be judged by a panel of judges comprising well-known Singapore artists and art professionals based on concept, creativity/originality, aesthetic quality (design, composition and colour/tones) and technical skills.

The announcement of winners is on Friday, 7 October 2022.

Submission deadline: Thurs, 22 September 2022

Canvas artworks are to be submitted to our submission centre; digital artworks submitted via our online portal.

TRCL Marks 8^th Anniversary with a Step into the Metaverse

BT BAF Alumna Hidayah performing on the keyboard alongside her avatar at TRCL’s 8th anniversary celebration.
Photo credit: TRCL, Avatar background by HATTENX

28 March 2022 – Youths and practitioners in Singapore can look forward to more platforms in the creative sector as not-for-profit arts organisation TRCL announced new initiatives for the community as it marked its 8th anniversary on 26th March at 10 Square over the past weekend.

Founded in 2014 with the belief that an education in the arts can transform young lives, TRCL manages The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) which to date has made arts education and performance platforms without cost and accessible to over 20,000 children and youths from financially disadvantaged through its training centres in Orchard and Yishun areas.

With the onset of the pandemic and its disruptions, TRCL has now further reinforced and expanded its role in serving the community through new initiatives on the digital platform.

With The Future of the Arts in Space as the theme for the anniversary, a key highlight is TRCL’s venture into the Metaverse, working with HATTENX, a new business venture of property and community developer Hatten Group.

Said Mr Phan Ming Yen, TRCL’s Chief Operating Officer, “The competition for opportunities and rising costs of venues in the physical realm have always posed challenges of arts practitioners—more so for young aspiring talents. The need for different avenues for performances or exhibitions have also become even more urgent during the recent pandemic.

“In this, metaverse presents an alternative space and even more opportunities for arts practitioners to pursue their artistic goals albeit on a digital and virtual platform which can either augment their existing work or which can serve as a launchpad for their careers. Here, we are glad for this opportunity to be able to work with HATTENX in its HATTENX Metaverse which would certainly be another key avenue for our beneficiaries and young talents to develop and showcase their art.”

A Metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds that completely remoulds the traditional manner of social interaction. It connects people globally in a phygital realm without real-world limitations vis-àvis the use of avatars. In the HATTENX Metaverse, in which development is still underway, a dedicated space for the arts is one of the features in the making. Entering its phygital realm, users worldwide can instantly interact with one another. Regardless of the space between communities in the real world, HATTENX Metaverse would have a shared space for richer user interactions.

Dato’ Colin Tan, Managing Director of Hatten Group, said, “HATTENX Metaverse is poised to be Singapore’s game-changer. We have often heard the challenges of lack of space and opportunities any small country faces. With the Metaverse, a new avenue has opened up for us to trade, play, make art, and build new networks and communities. In addition, it is our great pleasure to work with the not-for-profit organisation TRCL. They aim to provide for the underserved in creating new possibilities for its beneficiaries and talents within the creative industries.”

TRCL will begin its venture into the metaverse by identifying young and upcoming music talents for HATTENX Metaverse through a music platform called Rising Stars Series that is co-organised with Pianoland, an expansion of Steinway Gallery Singapore, and in partnership with Music and Movement. Pianoland and Music & Movement would serve on a panel that would identify potential talents for HATTENX Metaverse.

Signing of the Memorandum of Co-operation between Pianoland, TRCL and Music & Movement.
L to R: Ms Celine Goh, General Manager, Steinway Gallery Singapore and Pianoland; Mr Phan Ming Yen, COO, TRCL; Mr Lim Sek, Executive Director, Music & Movement

Said Ms Celine Goh, General Manager of Steinway Gallery Singapore and Pianoland,
“It is exciting for s to work with TRCL to co-organise our conventional Rising Stars Series platform to a whole new space of the metaverse as well as for the platform to serve as a fundraiser for BT BAF that provides arts training and platform opportunities to young talents from underserved communities.”

Added Mr Lim Sek, Executive Director of Music & Movement, on how the potential impact of the metaverse on Singapore’s talent pool, “It was and still is a common phenomenon that there is a ‘talent drain’ in Singapore in that many gifted musicians tend to seek more opportunities outside of Singapore and we tend to ‘lose’ talents.

“With the Metaverse however, musicians have another space and a different opportunity for them to reach out to a wider audience without leaving Singapore. In this, we will still be able to have such talents amongst us while they can pursue a wider career on the Metaverse without having to leave Singapore.”

28 March 2022 – Youths and practitioners in Singapore can look forward to more platforms in the creative sector as not-for-profit arts organisation TRCL announced new initiatives for the community as it marked its 8th anniversary on 26th March at 10 Square over the past weekend.

Founded in 2014 with the belief that an education in the arts can transform young lives, TRCL manages The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) which to date has made arts education and performance platforms without cost and accessible to over 20,000 children and youths from financially disadvantaged through its training centres in Orchard and Yishun areas.

With the onset of the pandemic and its disruptions, TRCL has now further reinforced and expanded its role in serving the community through new initiatives on the digital platform.

With The Future of the Arts in Space as the theme for the anniversary, a key highlight is TRCL’s venture into the Metaverse, working with HATTENX, a new business venture of property and community developer Hatten Group.

Said Mr Phan Ming Yen, TRCL’s Chief Operating Officer, “The competition for opportunities and rising costs of venues in the physical realm have always posed challenges of arts practitioners—more so for young aspiring talents. The need for different avenues for performances or exhibitions have also become even more urgent during the recent pandemic.

“In this, metaverse presents an alternative space and even more opportunities for arts practitioners to pursue their artistic goals albeit on a digital and virtual platform which can either augment their existing work or which can serve as a launchpad for their careers. Here, we are glad for this opportunity to be able to work with HATTENX in its HATTENX Metaverse which would certainly be another key avenue for our beneficiaries and young talents to develop and showcase their art.”

A Metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds that completely remoulds the traditional manner of social interaction. It connects people globally in a phygital realm without real-world limitations vis-àvis the use of avatars. In the HATTENX Metaverse, in which development is still underway, a dedicated space for the arts is one of the features in the making. Entering its phygital realm, users worldwide can instantly interact with one another. Regardless of the space between communities in the real world, HATTENX Metaverse would have a shared space for richer user interactions.

Dato’ Colin Tan, Managing Director of Hatten Group, said, “HATTENX Metaverse is poised to be Singapore’s game-changer. We have often heard the challenges of lack of space and opportunities any small country faces. With the Metaverse, a new avenue has opened up for us to trade, play, make art, and build new networks and communities. In addition, it is our great pleasure to work with the not-for-profit organisation TRCL. They aim to provide for the underserved in creating new possibilities for its beneficiaries and talents within the creative industries.”

TRCL will begin its venture into the metaverse by identifying young and upcoming music talents for HATTENX Metaverse through a music platform called Rising Stars Series that is co-organised with Pianoland, an expansion of Steinway Gallery Singapore, and in partnership with Music and Movement. Pianoland and Music & Movement would serve on a panel that would identify potential talents for HATTENX Metaverse.

• 23 Canvas and 11 Digital artworks have been selected as prize-winners of the inaugural 13-19 Art Prize
• Winning works will be exhibited at the Gallery at 10 Square @ Orchard Central from now till Monday, 10 January 2022
• The works will be auctioned from the TRCL website from now till Monday, 17 January 2022
• Net proceeds from the auction will go toward supporting The Business Times Budding Artists Fund

17 December 2021 – Thirty-four young talents have been awarded prizes at the inaugural 13-19 Art Prize, a new youth art competition that was launched earlier this year.

Organised by not-for-profit arts organisation TRCL, the competition was launched in May with submissions closing in November and attracted a total of 222 entries in the two categories of canvas and digital artworks. 13-19 Art Prize is open to talents between 13 and 19 years of age.

A total of six gold, four silver, five bronze and eight merit prizes were awarded in the Canvas artwork category. Says Internationally Renowned Watercolorist and Cultural Medallion Winer Mr Ong Kim Seng, one of the five judges for the Canvas category of the competition: “Most of the participants put in a lot of effort in their creations and we had a difficult time assessing the works. By and large, I felt that the works were surrealistic in their approach. The award-winning entries generally showed mastery of medium of used, were well-designed compositions, creative in delivery, displayed judicious use of colours and demonstrated an ability to balance all the elements necessary for a complete work of art.

“Prominent entries for me include 15- year-old Chua Rui Yan whose work showed the maturity of an experience acrylic painter and Lee Shimin’s The Day The Sun Fell which blend of impressionism together with a surrealist concept took me into a transcendental state.”

The Digital artwork category saw a total of one gold, three silver, one bronze and six merit prizes.

Says Educator and Artist Mr Tan Siang Yu who was on the judging panel for the digital artworks category: “The digital art works submitted captured a wide variety of themes ranging from personal expression to social commentary for instance, issues pertaining to the ongoing pandemic, climate change, well-being and the like.

“I am impressed by the level of maturity in the themes chosen, especially considering the age of some of these young artists. Technically, most of the artists are proficient in the use of the digital medium, with some reaching a level of professionalism that is very highly commendable. Overall, through these works, one can see that the artists have engaged deeply with their creation, and are confident in their use of medium to express their ideas. This bodes well for the future of our next generation of young talents.”

The competition which, is a fundraiser for The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF), was founded in the belief of imparting to youths the values of giving-back to the community and of support their peers from disadvantaged backgrounds through art. 13-19 Art Prize also sets out to challenge the creative potential of Singapore’s youth and promote a diversity of artistic expressions and inspire the next generation of artists in Singapore. BT BAF makes arts accessible for children and youths from financially disadvantaged backgrounds through providing arts training and performance opportunities.

Notes Ms Genii Koh, Chairman of the Advisory Committee of the competition and Board Member of TRCL: “What we found most exciting and uplifting from this competition was the maturity of the themes expressed, the quality and mastery of technique displayed and above all how the works gave us insights into the diverse and adventurous worlds of our youths.

“We are also heartened by the participation as this reflects a generosity of spirit and willingness amongst our youths to share their talent to help their peers who are in need.”

The winning artworks will be placed on auction on the TRCL website, www.trcl.sg/13-19-art-prize/auction, from Friday, 17 December 2021 till Monday, 17 January 2022. The work can be viewed at the Gallery at 10 Square @ Orchard Central from now till Monday, 10 January 2022 excepting on Saturday, 18 December 2021 as well as public holidays and on the eve of public holidays. Net proceeds from the sale of the artworks will go towards supporting BT BAF.

A highlight of 13-19 Art Prize auction is that the prizewinning digital artworks will be auctioned as NFTs. This is possibly among the first times in Singapore that digital artworks by youths will be auctioned as NFTs to fundraise.

Says Mr Elton Tay, founder of WottleNFT, 13-19 Art Prize’s digital partner, “We are honoured to be able to play a part in Singapore’s creative landscape through transforming the lives of young aspiring artists by exposing their talents to the world through blockchain technology by converting them into NFTs. This process immortalises their works on the blockchain. For us, it important to give back to society, especially with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. That is why, WottleNFT will also be taking on initiatives that aligns best with our values that include that of making positive change in the community.”

• Community Give-Back programme in its third year
• 150 BT BAF beneficiaries with 125 children and youth impacted positively from programme
• For third year, loyal supporter Certis donates $20,000 to sustain equipping the next generation with future-ready skills
• BT BAF youth lead and facilitate tech workshops for young children
• Guest-of-Honour Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry for Trade and Industry

6 December 2021 – Asia’s leading advanced integrated security services provider Certis partners The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF) for the third year running in this series of annual give-back activities. Comprising art and digital technology workshops, the Community Give-Back programme 2021 launches this afternoon with BT BAF youth leading a coding session together with Certis employees for children under the care of Yayasan MENDAKI.

The Community Give-Back programme aims to inculcate the spirit of giving back, with a focus on equipping disadvantaged children and youth with resilience and the ability to adapt in unpredictable environments, traits necessary to thrive in times of rapid change.
Community Give-Back was launched in 2019 and has since seen 100 Certis employees engage 150 BT BAF children and youth over the last three years. To date, they have led 125 children from five volunteer welfare organisations (VWOs) in various craft activities, helping them learn to use mobile apps to create simple stop-motion videos of their creations, to playing an experiential game via Zoom.

Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry for Trade and Industry, will deliver a pre-recorded address as the Guest-of-Honour at the virtual launch.

Mr Tan Toi Chia, Chief Corporate and Human Resources Officer, Certis, said: “We are pleased to present the third edition of the Community Give-Back programme with The Business Times Budding Artists Fund. The current climate still remains challenging for the emotional and well-being of our children and youth. We remain committed to engage and support our children and youth with meaningful activities that spur learning and growth. My colleagues are very motivated in doing their part to help those in need and we will continue to inspire each other to give back to our communities.”

The youth facilitators are currently enrolled in arts programmes supported by BT BAF, an arts education fund managed by charity arts organisation TRCL that provides free arts education to empower disadvantaged children and youth with artistic skills, purpose and passion for the arts.

To kick-off the launch of the Community Give Back programme, 40 staff and management volunteers from Certis and BT BAF beneficiaries will befriend and engage with 15 beneficiaries from MENDAKI to code a maze game using the online platform, CoSpaces.

Mdm Zuraidah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan MENDAKI said: “Through this programme, our children are able to learn new skills such as coding and befriend Certis volunteers. This experience would teach and inspire our beneficiaries to give back to the community in the future. We hope more organisations are encouraged to partner MENDAKI on volunteering and lifelong learning programmes in our efforts in building a community of success.”

Certis employees will come alongside the children and the youth to assist in the various activities, befriending and spending time with them. The first workshop will take place on Monday 6 December, followed by two more workshops set to take place during the March and June school holidays next year. These three workshops under the Community Give-Back programme will see around 100 children from VWOs engaged in creative sessions led by BT BAF student trainers.

Ms Nor Azizah, Acting Head, Arts and Community Development, TRCL, said: “We believe that it is important for our children and youth to do their part to contribute to the community and know that they can make a difference in someone else’s life. We want them to cultivate values such as empathy and gratitude at a young age so that they may learn to pay it forward.”

The next generation has been enriched by the opportunity to lead those younger than themselves. Adam Risam Kou, 14, a tech+art student who taught caricature drawing at last year’s workshops, says: “I love teaching the children how to make their art come alive. I’m looking forward to meeting new faces this year and sharing my love for art with them.”

Certis is donating $20,000 towards BT BAF as a presenter of the programme.

Caring for our at-risk kids during their school holidays with meals and craft packs

About 250 children from 6 to 12, mostly from low-resourced families, with parents who are essential-work employees and do not have the resources to take care of their children, will receive surprise craft packs and tasty meals twice a week throughout the June holidays.

Together with Zhenghua Community, TRCL Delivers Craft Packs, Help

Occupy Children in School Holidays

• About 250 children under the age of 12, mostly from low-resourced families, with parents who are essential-work employees and do not have the resources to take care of their children, to receive surprise craft packs and tasty meals twice a week throughout the June holidays
• The main donor of this initiative, called #Engage 3.0, is Sea Limited, for the purchase and distribution of more than 250 surprise craft-food packages
• In partnership with Zhenghua Citizens’ Consultative Committee (Zhenghua CCC) and five schools at Bukit Panjang Town

SINGAPORE 31 May 2021 — With the arrival of the June school holidays, children, especially those from low-resourced families, may face difficulties keeping themselves occupied and staying well emotionally, mentally, and physically throughout the holidays.

In line with its mission of providing for the underserved through arts activities, charity arts organisation TRCL is partnering with the Zhenghua community to give out surprise craft packs and tasty meals to more than 250 children. They are from low-resourced families, have parents who are essential-work employees, and who may need help to care for their children. The first delivery to student care centres in five primary schools in the Bukit Panjang Town starts tomorrow, and will continue every Tuesday and Thursday until Thursday, 24 June.

The student care centres are in Beacon Primary, Greenridge Primary, West Spring Primary, West View Primary and Zhenghua Primary Schools.

The goal of this initiative, called Engage 3.0, is to provide positive activities and inspire children between the ages of 6 and 12 to develop self-confidence, discover a new skill and instill a sense of achievement during periods of long hours spent indoors. This initiative seeks to engage children by providing them with craft-snack packs which come with an element of something unexpected inside.

#Engage is TRCL’s initiative started just a year ago during the Circuit Breaker to help at-risk children. It engaged Singapore’s vulnerable children and youth through arts, culture, and lifestyle activities through programmes held in school. #Engage 1.0 and #Engage 2.0 served close to 1000 school children who had to go back to school because they did not have digital resources at home, or needed face-to-face support [see related links below].

#Engage 3.0 is our ongoing initiative to help low-resourced children keep well during the long school holidays.

Ms Lynne Kok, a spokesperson for TRCL said: “We want to give the children something to look forward to during the school holidays when they are not encouraged to go outdoors. On two days a week, they can anticipate getting and opening these tasty meals like pizza and chicken sliders with French fries, together with craft items. Each pack gives them something to do with materials such as coloured markers, ice-cream sticks, and colouring mats.”

Mr Edward Chia, Adviser to Holland-Bukit Timah GRC GROs (Zhenghua) commented: “With the school holidays upon us, we are delighted to partner the good people at TRCL to bless our children from low resource families. It can be challenging to keep our kids meaningfully engaged during this period. The launch of #Engage 3.0 not only provides nutritious meals but will offer specially curated craft packs for our kids. Together as a Zhenghua family, we hope our children will stay creative, resilient and resourceful! This is our way of caring and nurturing as a community.”

The children’s craft works will be posted on social media to showcase their efforts and creativity.

• Competition aims to nurture and encourage young talents
• Fundraising aspect enables students to showcase and give back to community through the sale of winning entries via online charity auction
• Proceeds to benefit The Business Times Budding Artists Fund

SINGAPORE 25 May 2021 – In aid of The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF), charity arts organisation TRCL today launched a youth visual art competition, the 13-19 Art Prize that is supported by The Business Times. 

The competition offers all youths, aged 13 to 19, residing in Singapore the opportunity to express themselves and have their potential recognized by creating canvas and digital artworks on any theme or subject. There are four categories of winners: Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Jury Prize. The Jury Prize recognises promising young artists whose artworks deserve special mention. Gold winners receive a cash prize of $800 each, Silver winners $600 each, Bronze winners $400 each, and Jury Prize winners $400 each.  

Youths in secondary schools, international schools, art school and institutions – SOTA, LASALLE College of the Arts and the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) – as well as tertiary institutions are encouraged to stretch their creative potential by taking part.  

Registration for the 13-19 Art Prize is now open and we ask students to register and make use of the June holidays to start working on their submissions for the Art Prize. With the recent rise in community cases of Covid-19 infections among children and youth, we hope that the competition will be a source of excitement and motivation for them, and will keep them meaningfully occupied at home. 

As an advocate for the arts, TRCL has organised a variety of art auctions and exhibitions, mostly by youth for youth, in aid of The Business Times Budding Artists Fund. The Fund supports children from underserved communities by providing them an education in visual arts, music, theatre, dance, and digital art. Through this competition, TRCL hopes to impart values, create a culture of healthy artistic expression and build confidence in the next generation. 

Ms Genii Koh, Chairperson of the 13-19 Art Prize Advisory Committee, Board Member of TRCL, says: “We are delighted to have the support of The Business Times on a project which nurtures and recognizes young talents. As advocates of the arts in Singapore, we hope that this platform engages and empowers our youths to develop their unique voices. The fundraising auction of winning artworks will help them realize that their pursuit of creativity can benefit other young persons in the community.”  

Ms Tan See Kia, Member of the 13-19 Art Prize Advisory Committee and Head of the Junior Art Department, School of Young Talents at NAFA commented: “This competition fills a gap in the visual art landscape particularly for teenagers. The Art Prize offers talented young artists in this often-overlooked age group a good opportunity to share their perspectives and showcase their artistic accomplishments.” 

Submissions will be judged by our panel of judges comprising local well-known artists and art professionals based on concept, creativity/originality, aesthetic quality (design, composition and colour/tones) and technical skills.   

The announcement of winners is on Wednesday, 8 Dec 2021. Winning artworks will be exhibited and auctioned to the public online. All proceeds from the sale of the artworks will go to the BT BAF.  

Mr Wong Wei Kong, Editor of The Business Times, and Board Member of TRCL, said: “We hope that through this competition, young visual art students will be empowered knowing their talents are given visibility. Through the use of their talent, they also have the power to help those in need. We look forward to seeing what the next generation is communicating to our community and to the world at large.”