National Art Gallery extends open call deadline for Bakat Muda Sezaman competition


In 2019, the BMS top prize went to Samsudin Abdul Wahab for his 'Rambu-Rambu Memori' installation. Photo: The Star/Shaari Chemat

The submission deadline for this year’s edition of the National Art Gallery’s Bakat Muda Sezaman (BMS), or Young Contemporaries award, has been extended to June 30.

BMS is open to all Malaysians who are 35 and below. A total of RM100, 000 worth of prize money is up for grabs.

The major prize winner will walk away with RM30, 000. There will also be four Jury Choice awards of RM15, 000 each.

“The extension will give more people an opportunity to participate in BMS21. We look forward to their take on the ‘Seni Di Lokasi’ or ‘Art On Site’ concept, which encourages participants to find ways to create and present art in accordance with the ‘new norm’ mindset, as we are in the midst of a pandemic, ” says Zanita Anuar, BMS21 head of curatorial committee.

This year’s edition of the BMS will highlight a selection of art created and presented “on site”, in various locations around the country.

Applicants, who can sign up here, are invited to propose a suitable indoor or outdoor site for their artwork to be exhibited. There is no limitation on the size or scale of the artwork proposal submitted for this award.

The first edition of the BMS was organised by the National Art Gallery in 1974. It is held once every two years.

In 2019, the top prize went to Samsudin Abdul Wahab for his Rambu-Rambu Memori installation, which captured the stories from his childhood in a Kedah small town.

This year, the BMS is scheduled to run from November to February 2022. The Permanent Collection exhibition and the BMS show will be part of the (now under renovation) National Art Gallery's reopening programmes later this year.

However, plans for the gallery’s initial October reopening are currently up in the air due to the current movement control order (MCO) and pandemic situation.

More info here.

Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In Culture

Hemingway classic still inspires Americans to run with bulls in Pamplona
Welcome to 'FIFA Gully': the Kolkata lane transformed by a love for football
Asia’s first Durian Experience Centre opens in KL, featuring museum, theatre
HK bookseller, seized by Chinese authorities in 2015, dies in Taiwan at 70
Haruki Murakami says his novels are 'different' from AI literature
In Melaka, Peranakan heritage gets a killer twist with murder mystery weekends
Malaysian photographer-turned-artist gives the forest a voice
New Haruki Murakami novel 'The Tale Of KAHO', goes on sale in Japan, his first with female protagonist
Weekend for the arts: BookStreet hits 5, Seni Reog in KL, 'Jom Kita Ke Laut'
Tens of thousands queue for the Bayeux Tapestry’s rare England show

Others Also Read