Now in its 45th year, the UOB Painting of the Year (POY) competition continues to strengthen its standing as one of Southeast Asia’s most prestigious platforms for artistic excellence. Established in 1982, it is Singapore’s longest-running annual art competition and also held in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. UOB is elevating artistic excellence with enhanced criteria for the Established Artist category, to better recognise demonstrated artistic practice and engagement within the art ecosystem.
UOB is calling for established and emerging artists to push their creative limits and participate in the 45th UOB POY competition in Singapore. Submissions for the 45th UOB POY (Singapore) competition are open from now till 31 July 2026. All Singapore citizens and permanent residents, aged 16 years old and above, are eligible to submit one artwork online for either the Established or Emerging Artist Category.
The five country winners from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will compete for the coveted UOB Southeast Asian POY award, with a prize award of an additional S$13,000 on top of their respective country award prize, and a chance for an overseas residency programme. All Singapore winners and the winner of the 45th UOB Southeast Asian Painting of the Year will be announced at an awards ceremony in October 2026. The winners from other countries will be announced separately in their own markets before the 2026 UOB POY Awards Ceremony and Exhibition.
More details of the submission criteria can be found at UOBandArt.com
When: 4 May - 31 Jul 2026,
By: UOB
