A total of 31 talented artists emerged victorious in the MR. DIY Art Competition 2023 themed “Hot or Cold”.
The winners were announced at a prize giving ceremony held at Segaris Art Centre, Publika Shopping Gallery, Kuala Lumpur on August 1, 2023.
The first prize winner Mohd Fizrie Azhan Mohd Torikat, 32, from Klang, Selangor bagged RM15,000 in cash for his abstract piece, done entirely in acrylic titled “The Journey No. 1”.
The winning artwork takes observers on a metaphorical journey of life. It includes depictions of pain, disappointment, failure and separation, incorporating the colours white, black, grey, and red.
The combination of these colours and the use of the pouring technique created intriguing organic shapes which captured the attention of the competition judges.
About RM70,000 worth of prizes were awarded to the winners in various awards, including Judges Pick Award, CEO Award, Founder Award, Creative Artist Award, Spotlight Award, MR DIY Outstanding Award, People’s Choice Award, Special Mention Award and Young Talent Award.
Now in its second year, the art competition, a corporate social impact initiative organised by MR DIY was launched on March 9 – June 7, 2023, and attracted over 300 entries for across Malaysia, including submissions from students of tertiary and secondary learning institutions.
The entries were evaluated by a panel of judges, who included acclaimed artists Fauzan Omar, Safrizal Sharir and Leong Mei Yin, along with renowned art collector and critic Bingley Sim, who has served on multiple art competition panels.
The art competition was launched in 2022 with the aim cultivating an appreciation for Malaysian art and providing a sustainable platform for talented local artists to showcase their diverse talents to a wider audience.
“The competition last year attracted a rich breadth of work, and we were very pleasantly surprised to see an even greater show of top-notch work this year, including from our youngest participant, a very promising 7-year-old artist,” said MR DIY group chief executive officer Adrian Ong.
“The judges certainly threw down the gauntlet by setting such an intriguing theme “Hot & Cold” for the competition this year, and I must commend all participants for rising to the challenge so beautifully. The extensive body of work and quality of ideas gave us the impetus to increase the value and number of prizes,” added Ong.
MR D.I.Y Art Competition 2023 Winners:
| No | Category | Name | Age | From | Artwork Name |
| 1 | Grand Prize – RM15,000 | Mohd Fizrie Azhan bin Mohd Torikat | 32 | Klang, Selangor (Individual) | The Journey No. 1 |
| 2 | Judges Pick Award – RM8,000 | Arikwibowo bin Amril | 35 | Batu Caves (Individual) | Falling Apart |
| 3 | CEO Award – RM6,000 | Adam Lais bin Ahmad Shukri | 21 | Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor (UiTM Seri Iskandar) | Grow with Me |
| 4 | Founder Award – RM4,500 | Mohd Faris Ridzwan Bin Che Abdul Malek | 30 | Serendah, Selangor (UiTM Perak) | Pintu Keluar |
| 1 | Creative Artist Award – RM3,000 | Mohd. Al Khuzairie Ali | 39 | Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor (Individual) | Prayer Flag: Mother Earth |
| 2 | Creative Artist Award – RM3,000 | Haslin bin Ismail | 39 | Cheras, Selangor (Individual) | Would You Believe Me When I Tell You, You’re the Queen of My Heart |
| 3 | Creative Artist Award – RM3,000 | Lim Tong Xin | 22 | Semenyih, Selangor (Malaysia Institute of Art) | To Choose |
| 4 | Creative Artist Award – RM3,000 | Muhd Syazwan Bin Abd Rahim | 29 | Shah Alam, Selangor (Individual) | 37`C Above |
| 1 | Spotlight Award – RM2,000 | Muhammad Arman Bin Mohd Rizaudin | 24 | Klang, Selangor (UiTM Shah Alam) | Jiwa Suaka Alam |
| 2 | Spotlight Award – RM2,000 | Eugene Nandakumar a/l Nadarajan | 35 | Kuala Lumpur (Individual) | Beneath The Surface |
| 3 | Spotlight Award – RM2,000 | Irwan Bin Othman | 39 | Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu (Individual) | The Dense of Life |
| 4 | Spotlight Award – RM2,000 | Muhammad Hafiz Bin Abdul Rashid | 23 | Masai, Johor (UiTM Shah Alam) | Whimsically Tranquil |
| 5 | Spotlight Award – RM2,000 | Lim Soon Hock | 22 | Muar, Johor (Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA)) | Little Flame in the Dark |
| 1 | MR D.I.Y. Outstanding Award – RM1,000 | Sarman Mohamad | 44 | Machang, Kelantan (Individual) | Making a Valuable Burning / Mix Media |
| 2 | MR D.I.Y. Outstanding Award – RM1,000 | Muhammad Helmi bin Johaan | 31 | Johor Bharu, Johor (Kolej Yayasan Pelajaran Johor) | The Up and Down of Life |
| 3 | MR D.I.Y. Outstanding Award – RM1,000 | Goh Qian Yee | 21 | Sepang, Selangor (Malaysia Institue of Art (MIA)) | Happiness and Sadness |
| 4 | MR D.I.Y. Outstanding Award – RM1,000 | Mohamad Firdaus bin Md Yusof | 30 | Johor Bharu, Johor (UiTM Shah Alam) | When Life Gives You Lemon, Make Lemonade |
| 5 | MR D.I.Y. Outstanding Award – RM1,000 | Ahmad Amirul bin Muhammad Noor | 27 | Klang, Selangor (Individual) | Are We There Yet? |
| 1 | People’s Choice Award – RM800 | Mohamad Amirrul bin Mat Saman | 31 | Subang Jaya, Selangor (Individual) | Chili Oil Coconut Vanilla Sundae |
| 2 | People’s Choice Award – RM800 | Tan Mei Ting | 21 | Kajang, Selangor (Malaysian Institute of Art) | Trance |
| 3 | People’s Choice Award – RM800 | Lai Nian | 21 | Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysian Institute of Art) | Dream |
| 4 | People’s Choice Award – RM800 | Junaidi Bin Awang | 46 | Kelantan, Malaysia (Individual) | Dopamine (Series 1) |
| 5 | People’s Choice Award – RM800 | Mohd Jamil Bin Mohd Isa | 42 | Kuala Rompin, Pahang (Individual) | Hot Culture or Cold Tradition |
| 6 | People’s Choice Award – RM800 | Chen Yi Teng | 23 | Teluk Intan, Perak (Malaysian Institute of Art) | Lava |
| 1 | Special Mention Award – RM500 | Mohamad Ariff Qarnain bin Dzulamarulhilmi | 23 | Shah Alam, Selangor (UiTM) | Crespuscule |
| 2 | Special Mention Award – RM500 | Siti Aisyah binti Zainal Abidin | 30 | Shah Alam, Selangor (Individual) | Emotions |
| 3 | Special Mention Award – RM500 | Inez Athira Binti Zainal | 33 | Subang Jaya, Selangor (Individual) | Under Skin Tone |
| 4 | Special Mention Award – RM500 | Muhammad Aqil Hamizan bin Mohd Rosoli | 18 | Johor Bahru, Johor (Sekolah Seni Malaysia Johor) | Antonim |
| 5 | Special Mention Award – RM500 | Mohamad Shahnaz Azlin Bin bdul Mutalib | 28 | Bukit Raja, Klang (Individual) | Masa Berlalu Zaman Berubah |
| 1 | Young Talent Award – RM300 cash vouchers | Leong Yik Yuen | 12 | Telok Panglima Garang, Selangor (SJK (C) Bukit Fraser) | Rise of The New World Order |
| 2 | Young Talent Award – RM300 cash vouchers | Muhammad Arqam Aqlan Bin Azzuan | 7 | Puchong, Selangor (SK Puchong Utama) | Inside My Brain |
