MR D.I.Y. Group (M) Bhd in partnership with Universiti Malaya Community and Sustainability Centre (UMCares), has announced the launch of the 6th edition of its popular ‘DIY Made Simple’ annual competition for secondary school students.
The 2022 edition of the ‘DIY Made Simple’ competition is currently accepting entries. Students interested in participating have until May 20, 2022 to submit their video entries.
This competition, supported by the Ministry of Education (MOE), aims to inspire students to understand and appreciate the positive impact a do-it-yourself (DIY) culture can have on a country and its communities.
The competition provides students with a platform to express their creativity by exploring different DIY themes.
This year’s theme,‘Facing The New Normal: School Transformation’ calls for students to find ways to improve their school facilities whilst adapting to the new normal, by initiating do-it-yourself projects using recycled materials.
MR D.I.Y. Group chairman Dato’ Azlam Shah Alias said the contest inspires and shares ideas, encouraging bold creativity in recycling materials.
“DIY Made Simple is more than simply a competition. It inspires the sharing of ideas on how to adopt more environment-friendly practices, promotes a strong culture of upgrading and upcycling, and ultimately results in sustainable, empowered communities who are well equipped for the future.
“It is one of the many ways MR D.I.Y. adds value to the communities in which we operate, and is very much in line with our sustainability goals,” he said.
Azlam Shah said the support from UMCares and MOE has enabled the company to upskill 865 secondary school students from across the country since the launch of the competition in 2017, which has grown to become bigger, better and more interesting each year.
“With Malaysia now in transition to endemic phase and with schools having reopened, we look forward to seeing creative, out-of-the-box ideas that can turn waste into something useful and sustainable for the betterment of schools,” he added.
UM deputy vice-chancellor on research and innovation Prof Ir. Dr. Shaliza Ibrahim said the DIY Made Simple competition connects academia, industry, community and government, while indirectly serving as a platform for knowledge sharing with school communities.
“This competition is aligned with UM’s mission to advance knowledge and learning through quality projects and education for the nation and humanity.
“To achieve this, we intensify our efforts to enhance the university’s visibility through internationalisation, collaboration and partnerships with strategic industries and stakeholders,” she said.
A panel of judges comprising representatives from Universiti Malaya (UM), MR DIY, and MOE will evaluate the submissions and shortlist 98 teams (seven schools from each state) for a proposal and prototype presentation between May 31 – July 21, 2022.
Eighteen finalists will be selected to work with lecturers from UM’s Faculty of Built Environment to transform their school ideas into reality for the grand finale. The final phase will take place between July 22 – Sept 25, 2022, with the winners to be announced in October.
