As a token of appreciation, Professor Dr. Chong Beng Keok presented a painting to YB Soon Lip Chee.

Professor Dr. Chong Beng Keok, Vice Chanellor UOW Malaysia KDU Penang, sharing on how the pandemic can be an opportunity for creativity and innovation.

By UOW Malaysia KDU

UOW Malaysia KDU, part of the University of Wollongong Australia global network, and the Penang Youth Development Corporation (PYDC) recently announced that they are partnering to organize a poster design competition themed “Rediscovering New Reality with the Pandemic”. The objectives of the competition are aligned with the Penang 2030 Vision in empowering youth to be positive game-changers in Penang society through art and innovation.

Open to participants within the 15-30 year age group, the poster competition aims to encourage entrants to draw upon their experience in the pandemic as inspiration. As the nation is going through the 3rd wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has brought unprecedented challenges to all sectors of society, from corporations restructuring, to educational institutions shifting to the provision of online learning, to families learning to integrate work life into their home routines. The design brief of this competition encourages youth to use the competition as an outlet to express their experiences at this time. As such, the scope is purposively quite open-ended in order to allow emotions, observations and experiences of the participants to come to the fore through the medium of design. It is anticipated that entrants would have had a diverse range of experiences, making for what promises to be a fascinating competition.

On 3rd November 2020, Professor Dr. Chong Beng Keok (UOW Malaysia KDU Penang Vice-Chancellor), Dr. Yeap Gik Hong (Head of School – Engineering, Computing & Built Environment) and Anna Lim (Manager of Career and Placement Center) participated within a Press Conference with YB Soon Lip Chee (Penang State Executive Councillor for Youth and Sports) to announce the Poster Design Competition. At the press conference Professor Chong commented that “Every crisis is an opportunity in disguise, UOW Malaysia KDU alongside PYDC seeks to build a platform for Penang Millennials and Gen Z to showcase their compositions and arts during this pandemic, and to encourage them to continually develop their talent, creativity, and innovations.”

Given that young people have been largely stuck in their homes, predominantly using digital media to study and socilaise, the competition provides a welcome respite from day to life and may even be therapeutic as entrants can reflect on all the good that has shown through the pandemic. PYDC General Manager Dr Gwee Sai Ling echoed this sentiment and along with Professor Dr. Chong believes that this competition will help young people to adapt and rise-up in this time of digitization.

The competition is open to the participants aged between 15 to 30 years old and all entries must be in groups of 2, with each group submitting two posters: original computer-generated posters designed by the participants. At least one of the entrants per team must be resident within Penang. Entries of the posters will be judged according to the following criteria: Originality, Impact, Composition, and Creativity. Winners of this competition will be rewarded with cash prizes of RM1200 (1st Prize), RM600 (2nd Prize), and RM300 (3rd Prize x 2 prizes) and the winners work will be reproduced for pubic display at UOW Malaysia KDU’s new campus located in Batu Kawan Penang. UOW Malaysis KDU Batu Kawan campus offers the opportunity for students to develop their design talent through a Diploma in Interior Design, or Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Hons) offered at this internationally styled campus located adjacent to IKEA and Design Village.

Prof Chong encouraged Youth to participate in this challenge stating that “part of UOW Malaysia KDU core values are courage and innovation.  We believe that the ‘Rediscovering New Reality with the Pandemic’ Poster Design Competition will spark possibility thinking in the next generation on how to adapt to the new reality and giving them the courage to create a new future.”

Scan the following QR code for more information on how you can be involved in this competition: