Description

2024 UOB Art in Ink Awards

I. Awards Introduction
As the leading patron of the arts in Asia, UOB is committed to promoting and enriching the development of ink art. In 2023, UOB China launched the first UOB Art in Ink Awards Campus Edition. The Awards is a testament to UOB's commitment to uncovering artistic talents and rejuvenating the cultural heritage of ink art. The Awards invites the Art and Design Education FutureLab (FutureLab) as the strategic partner to provide professional advice and full support for the competition.
A total of 15 outstanding winners were selected from the judging by five professional independent judges (Mr. Zhang Zikang, former director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts Art Museum, professor, and doctoral advisor; Mr. Chen Tong, teacher, artist, publisher, and critic; Mr. Qiu Anxiong, artist; Ms. Wu Wei, critic, curator; and Mr. Lorenz Helbing, founder of ShanghART Gallery). The winning artworks will be exhibited nationwide to showcase the unique charm of contemporary ink and the thinking of campus talents.
This year, the Awards will have two categories - Campus Talent and Emerging Artist two categories and launched on the same date as the "UOB Ink Art Award" in Hong Kong SAR. The new Emerging Artist category is open to young artists aged 35 and under and selected by a panel of judges.
To inspire diverse young talents’ innovative inspiration and stimulate their creative enthusiasm, the Awards will increase the selection dimensions, which aims to encourage more artists to express their ink art and feel the openness and sustainability of the Awards.

II. Schedule
• Awards announcement: 30 April 2024
• Submission period: 30 April - 10 July 2024
• Shortlisting period: 22 – 28 July 2024
• Top 60 - Campus Talent category announcement and public voting*: 29 - 31 July 2024
• Top 30* - Campus Talent category announcement and portfolio submission: 1 - 15 August 2024
• Campus Talent category second interview and artwork transportation: August 2024
• Shortlisted Emerging Artist category announcement: September 2024
• Final judging: September to October 2024
• Awards ceremony: November 2024
• Awards exhibition: November 2024 – February 2025*2
*1The top 30 candidates were selected based on the panel of judges’ decisions and public voting results.
*2 The specific date and venue of the exhibition will be confirmed later and announced by UOB China’s official WeChat account. Follow our official WeChat account to get the latest information about the Awards.

III. Organisation
IV. Organiser: United Overseas Bank (China) Limited
Strategic Partner: Art and Design Education FutureLab (FutureLab)

V. Awards and Prizes
1. Awards Category:
- Campus Talent Category
- Emerging Artist Category

2. Prizes
- Campus Talent Category
The following prizes will be awarded to winners:
UOB Most Promising Talent of the Year Award: one winner - CNY30,000
Gold Award: one winner – CNY15,000
Silver Award: one winner - CNY10,000
Bronze Award: one winner - CNY5,000

- Emerging Artist Category
UOB Most Emerging Artist of the Year: one winner - The winning artist will be selected by judging committees. The organiser will sponsor the winner to hold a solo exhibition.

3. Exhibition
a. All top 15 entries of the Campus Talent category and shortlisted entries of the Emerging Artist category will be part of the Awards exhibition at the venue designated by the organiser.
b. All top 15 entries of the Campus Talent category and shortlisted entries of the Emerging Artist category stand an opportunity to be exhibited at the 2024 FutureLab Art Fair and the UOB-owned or partnered galleries/premises in Hong Kong SAR and Southeast Asia.

4. Transportation and Accommodation
All transportation and accommodation expenses will be borne by the Organiser if the winners participate in the UOB Art in Ink Awards ceremony.

5. Other Art Collaborations
Awards also provide winners with excellent opportunities, including but not limited to winning artwork that will be selected as the cover of UOB China's annual report, The winners will receive an opportunity to an artist residency programme, commissioned art projects, and opportunities to engage with art experts, curators, critics, and gallery owners.

VI. Panel of Judges
An independent panel of judges comprise renowned artists, art academics, art critics, art management and other art professionals will help with the judging of entries. The judging panel is looking for artists with outstanding concept, creativity, aesthetic expression, understanding of Chinese ink art and modern response toward today's ever-changing society.
Mr Zhang Zikang – Gallery Manager, Curator, Artist, Professor, PhD advisor
• Mr Chen Tong – Teacher, Artist, Publisher, Critic
• Mr Qiu Anxiong – Internationally renowned contemporary artist
• Ms Wu Wei – Publisher, Critic, Curator
• Mr Lorenz Helbing – Founder of ShanghART Gallery

VII. Eligibility
1. The Campus Talent category is open to all domestic and overseas tertiary students with the People's Republic of China Resident Identity Cards or international students with valid tertiary education certificates issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (including those who will graduate in 2024). Participation is free of charge, and the participant should submit the work via UOB and Art WeChat mini-programme.
A panel of professional judges will nominate the Emerging Artist category candidates and is open to artists under 35 holding a People's Republic of China Resident Identity Card.
2. Each participant can submit three entries for the Awards.
3. No medium restrictions and requirement
• Two-dimensional Artworks
3 to 8 images of the artworks. All framed artworks should subject to a maximum width of 240cm. One image should be demonstrating the effect of the artwork hanging on a wall.

• Three-dimensional Artworks
3 to 8 images of the artwork that fully represent the form and details of the artwork. The maximum dimension of the original artwork should be subject to 200 centimetres, and the weight should be below 150 kilograms.
Materials include bronze, iron, wood, stone, and stainless steel. Resin materials may be used for special needs, but fragile materials are limited.

• Mixed Media
This includes installation artworks and video works.
3 to 8 images or renderings that fully represent the form and details of the artwork.
The video should not exceed 30 minutes in duration and should be in MP4 or MOV format, with a file size below 100MB.
For artworks involving sound, light, electricity, AR, VR, etc., detailed information should be provided, including the names, models, power consumption, spatial requirements of the electrical equipment, and detailed installation plans and exhibition drawings. Artworks and equipment should not have security risks, including fire, flammability, or explosion hazards. If specific technical equipment is used in the artwork, a list of equipment and operating instructions should be provided.
4. Participants must comply with the relevant copyright legislation. All submission materials submitted for this award must be original works of the participant. The participant must also be the owner of all submitted materials. Entries in violation of copyright or related offences will be disqualified. The participant should bear his/her legal liability. Any legal dispute is not related to the Organiser.
5. Participants should not submit artworks that have been offered for sale.
6. The artwork must not promote illegal behaviour; support racial, religious, sexual, or other invidious prejudice; advocate sexual or violent exploitation; violate rights established by law or agreements; invade the privacy of any persons; or be otherwise disqualified by the Organiser in its sole and conclusive determination.
7. The top 30 participants should be prepared to be able to send portfolios to the Organiser’s working email: info@ade-futurelab.com.

VIII. Copyright/Intellectual Property
1. The top 30 participants shall grant UOB China an unlimited worldwide, royalty-free, exclusive license to exhibit, archive and reproduce images of their winning entries.
2. Participants agree that UOB China reserves the right including but not limited to reproduce, use, exhibit, publish and distribute the copy of entries through any media for the purpose of marketing and promotion without any payment in respect of such use and prior notice to the participants.
3. All Top 30 artworks should be open to local and overseas exhibitions presented by UOB China. Details of each exhibition will be communicated to the participants in advance.

IX. Entry Submissions
1. Provide individual information
2. Artwork high-resolution print-quality file (request as below)
i. Maximum of eight images
ii. JPG/MOV/MP4 format
iii. Artwork submissions should have a file size of not less than 3MB but not exceeding 8 MB. Individual video file is less than 100MB.
iv. The participant must provide a clear and well-lit image of the artwork. The artwork should be photographed against a white background, with the camera facing the artwork at a front angle.
v. If an artwork is drawn based on a photo, the photos must be taken by the participant, or the participant must have written permission from the photographer to use the photos.
3. Provide bilingual artistic concepts and ideas as artwork descriptions in 300 words (Including year of creation, material, size, artwork description). Artworks must related to elements (including but not limited to materiality, form, and technique) of ink.

X. Artwork Transportation
The shortlisted participants are required to submit the actual artwork to the Organiser. The expense for the transportation will be borne by the Organiser.

XI. Acceptance of Rules and Regulations
1. All entries will be evaluated by the panel of judges appointed at the discretion of UOB China. The decision of the judges is final. No correspondence will be entered into this subject before, during, and/or after the Awards.
2. All winners should cooperate with UOB China for the promotions related to the Awards.
3. UOB China reserves the right not to award any of the stipulated prizes should entries fail, in the judges’ opinion, to meet the required standards.
4. If the artworks cannot meet the above criteria and requirements for participation, UOB China reserves the final decision-making authority regarding the eligibility of all submissions.
5. UOB China reserves the right to change the guidelines and Rules and Regulations at any time without prior notice and the Awards may be withdrawn or terminated by UOB China at its discretion without prior notice. UOB China accepts no liability for any such change, withdrawal and termination.
6. The decision of UOB China on all matters not provided for by the above Rules and Regulations shall be final and conclusive.
For specific issues encountered during the application process, such as submission procedures, judging timeline, artwork transportation, etc., inquiries can be made via email to info@ade-futurelab.com.

About UOB China
United Overseas Bank (China) Limited (UOB China) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB), a leading bank in Asia. UOB China is headquartered in Shanghai and was incorporated in the People’s Republic of China on 18 December 2007.
From our first representative office in Beijing in 1984, we have grown our network to 16 branches and sub-branches in major Chinese cities.
UOB China is rated 'A+' with a stable outlook by Fitch Ratings and 'AAA' with a stable outlook by China Cheng Xin International.
We believe in being a responsible financial services provider and we are committed to making a difference in the lives of our stakeholders and in the communities in which we operate. Just as we are dedicated to helping our customers manage their finances wisely and to grow their businesses, UOB China is steadfast in our support of social development, particularly in the areas of art, children and education.

About UOB and Art
UOB’s involvement in art started in the 1970s with its collection of paintings by Singapore artists. Today, the UOB Art Collection has more than 2,600 artworks, made up primarily of paintings from established and emerging Southeast Asian artists.
UOB plays an active role in communities across the region, most notably through its long-term commitment to art. As the leading patron of the arts in Asia, the Bank continues to make art accessible to a wider audience through a diverse range of visual art programmes, partnerships and community outreach across the region.
The Bank’s flagship art programme is the UOB Painting of the Year competition, which was started in 1982 to recognise Southeast Asian artists and to offer them the opportunity to showcase their works to the wider community. The competition was extended to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and in 2023, to Vietnam. It is now the longest running art competition in Singapore and one of the most prestigious in Southeast Asia.
UOB also helps nurture young artistic talent. UOB established the UOB Art Academy in Hong Kong SAR 2015 with an aim to make art more accessible to the community, to nurture local young artistic talents and to rejuvenate cultural heritage through the annual art competition, art outreach programmes and various kinds of art collaborations.
The UOB Art Gallery in China was officially opened in Shanghai in November 2018. Just as UOB provides connectivity between Greater China and Southeast Asia, the UOB Art Gallery aims to promote cross-border appreciation of art.

Past Exhibitions and Workshops
Past exhibitions
2023 ’The Beauty of Ink’ Exhibition
2023 ‘Reflection’ Exhibition
2022 ‘Garden’ Exhibition
2021 ‘Evoked by Ink’ Exhibition
2021 ‘The Future is Now’ Exhibition
2020 ‘UOB Art Virtually’ Exhibition
2019 ‘What the space wants to be’ - solo exhibition by Zheng Chongbin
2019 ‘UOB Art in Ink’ Exhibition
2018 ‘The Art of Banking’ Exhibition
Past artist residency programmes
2023 Mr Keane Tan
• Winner of 2021 UOB Painting of the Year (Singapore) award
Mr Saiful Razman
• Winner of 2021 UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year
• Winner of 2021 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) award
Mr Vachira Kornthong
• Winner of 2021 UOB Painting of the Year (Thailand) award
2019 Mr Eric Lai Wai Lam (Hong Kong SAR)
• Bronze Award winner of 2018 UOB Art in Ink Awards
2018 Mr Chok Yue Zan (Malaysia)
• Winner of 2017 UOB Painting of the Year (Malaysia) award

Past workshops
2023 ‘Breathing’ sustainable art workshops
2021 Art for Urban Worker art therapy workshops
2019 Junior Artist Workshop: “Forever Dunhuang”
2019 Junior Artist Workshop: “Stars and Mountains”
2018 Junior Artist Workshop: “Hope: Growth Track of a Towering Tree”