PETALING JAYA (May 11): S P Setia Bhd unveiled its top six winning artists for its Setia KARYA hotel art campaign contest on Tuesday (May 10) during its judging walkthrough and winner’s announcement at Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Penang.

The Setia KARYA hotel art campaign contest which ran from March 5 to April 30, 2022 has received 178 artworks submitted by 150 local artistic talents of all ages from across the nation, of which 20 are of special needs background. 

The top six winners are Lim Tow Tin and Awisa Abdullah (first prize), Yong Hui Lin and Arikwibowo Amril (second prize), and Dhakshini Jeganathan and Raden Hisbullah (third prize).

“I would like to commend S P Setia and the organising partners of Setia KARYA for initiating a meaningful campaign which has provided a platform to nurture aspiring Malaysian artists of all ages and from all walks of life to showcase their creativity especially for the underprivileged and those with special needs,” said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow in a press statement on Wednesday. 

Chow was also part of the contest’s judging panel, along with representatives of Setia KARYA’s supporting bodies, including Penang Art District, Penang State Art Gallery, Island Gallery, Malaysia Institute of Art and Malaysian Association of Hotels.

S P Setia deputy president and COO Datuk Seri Koe Peng Kang said, "Setia KARYA is a platform that allows our local talents to showcase their creativity. As part of our commitment to ESG initiatives and corporate social responsibility, all Malaysian artists of all ages were welcome to submit their creative artworks, which will be displayed in the hotel rooms of the upcoming Amari SPICE Penang and Amari Kuala Lumpur. 

“With this campaign, I hope that these talents will be discovered and given better opportunities in the arts and culture industry moving forward as they will be seen not only by fellow Malaysians but also international tourists from around the world who visit our upcoming Amari hotels," he added.

Participants of Setia KARYA were evaluated for their techniques and creativity surrounding the theme named ‘Vibrance of the Orient’ and ‘Vivarium of the East’ for Amari Kuala Lumpur. The first prize winners took home RM12,000 cash prize each, the second prize winners received RM9,000 each and the third prize winners won RM7,000 each. Sixty-nine consolation prize winners received RM3,000 each.