Current Competition
Current Competition
Children and Youth Art Competition 2025 - “Life in an AI-Era”
Register Here!

The Benefits of Kids & Teens Participating in Art Competitions

Singapore’s Visual Arts Centre will host a Children and Youth Painting Competition – “Dream of an AI-Era” dating from April to October 2025. Registration is now open! 

《 Courage, Hope and Love in the time of a pandemic》being exhibited 

In the past few years, Visual Arts Centre has held several large-scale children and youth painting competitions, attracting countless children to join the competition. During the pandemic in 2021, Visual Arts Centre held the《Courage, Hope and Love in the time of the pandemic》 painting competition, which attracted hundreds of children to participate in the competition — submitting their works in the form of e-submission. Among them, 42 children won prizes, prizes and certificates.

In 2023, Visual Arts Centre collaborated with the organisers of Affordable Art Fair (AAF) to hold a live-painting art competition. In the 2-hour competition, 15 winners received cash prizes, prizes and certificates.

《Courage, Hope and Love in the time of a pandemic》 Singapore Children’s and Teenagers’ Painting Competition, with a $1,500, $1,000 and $500 prize.

There are many benefits for children and teenagers to participate in painting competitions

art competition for youth and teenager in Singapore benefits with Visual Arts Centre

In today’s AI era – Painting is one of the most primitive forms of artistic expression, still occupying an irreplaceable position in the growth of Children and Youth When Children and Youth pick up their brushes to participate in the Children and Youth Painting Competition, they are not only completing an artwork, but also having an opportunity to show unlimited creativity, imagination, improvisation, and comprehensive ability.

The competition participants are preparing for their lifelong achievements.

Painting competitions are perfect as they provide a creative space with “no standard answers” for both Children and Youth. Neuroscience researchers stated that when children paint freely, their prefrontal cortex and visual cortex of the brain are significantly enhanced as it requires both eye, thinking and mobility coordination skills. This cross-brain collaboration can effectively promote the development of creative thinking. The combination of “propositional creation” and “free-will” in Children and Youth painting competitions not only exercises their ability to interpret themes and complete works independently, but improves their imagination and originality, and protects their wild imagination

  1. Painting competitions can improve a Children and Youth ability to cope with stress. Completing a work in a competitive situation is essentially a mild-stress training. From anxiety during conception to a sense of accomplishment after completion, this complete emotional experience chain helps Children and Youth establish a healthy stress coping mechanism. Children and Youth participating in painting competitions, show greater emotional stability when encountering academic difficulties. When Children and Youth watch their works being reviewed by professional judges, they are also learning how to transform external evaluations into a mirror for self-cognition.

In today’s generation of an AI ​​era, the essence of education is increasingly pointing to “the all-round development of people”. Children and youth painting competitions have gone beyond simple talent competitions and have become a unique venue for cultivating the comprehensive qualities of future citizens. When children and young people use their brushes to measure the world, they are not only depicting the scene in front of them, but also outlining their growth trajectory – every mixing of colours is a leap of thought, and every composition is a breakthrough in cognition. This may be the most touching part of art education in children and youth painting competitions: the comprehensive cultivation of human qualities are never limited.

儿童和青少年绘画比赛art competition for youth and teenager in Singapore benefits with Visual Arts Centre

Competition details:

This year 2025, Singapore’s Visual Arts Centre presents “Dream of an AI-Era” Painting Competition. This competition aims to show the creative collision and interaction between people and artificial intelligence (AI) through artistic paintings. Whether it is imagining the future of AI or exploring the infinite possibilities of combining technology and art, this competition provides a platform for young people to show their creativity.

Participants can freely express their understanding and imagination of artificial intelligence through painting. From the sci-fi future city to the world created by people and AI, all works with innovation and artistic expression are welcome.

This competition is not only a competition of artistic creation but also an in-depth exploration of the integration of future technology, humanity and the arts. We encourage participants to use their imagination and bravely break through boundaries.

This competition is hosted by the Singapore Visual Arts Center and co-organized by the Singapore Art Federation, Singapore Modern Painting Society, and Singapore Xiaotao Painting Society. After fair evaluation by senior jury painters, this competition will select “First Prize”, “Second Prize”, “Third Prize”, and “Excellence Award”. The winners of each award will receive certificates, bonuses and prizes. The winning works of the 1st Prize, 2nd Prize, 3rd Prize and Excellence award. The Visual Arts Centre will be responsible for framing the winning works and planning the exhibition. The winning works of this painting competition will be exhibited in the exhibition hall of the Visual Arts Centre, and art lovers are invited to visit and appreciate them.

Junior group: 10-13 years old

Youth group: 13-16 years oll

2025 Art Competition <Dream of an AI-Era >
OPEN FOR REGISTRATION!

Overview of the 2025 Singapore “Dream of an AI-Era” Art Competition:

Welcome to the “Dream of an AI-Era” 2025 Singapore Kids and Teens Art Competition, proudly organized by Visual Arts Centre! This exciting art competition invites young artists aged 8 to 16 to express their creativity and imagination through art. With two age categories—the Kids Group (8–12 years) and the Teens Group (13–16 years)—this is a wonderful opportunity for budding artists to showcase their talents, explore a futuristic theme, and compete for attractive prizes, including cash prizes, free art classes and certificates of award for the top three winners and finalists in each age group.

In a world where artificial intelligence is rapidly shaping how we live, learn, work, and communicate, our theme “Life in an AI Era” invites participants to explore the possibilities of this new technological age. What will our cities look like? How will we interact with AI in our daily lives? Can AI help us protect the environment or enhance creativity? Through this theme, we hope to spark curiosity and critical thinking about the role of technology in our future, while encouraging young minds to interpret the theme through their unique artistic lenses.

The purpose of this art competition is to encourage artistic expression, promote awareness of emerging technologies, and to provide a platform where young artists can reflect on the world they are growing up in. Visual Arts Centre believes in nurturing creativity and fostering a love for art from a young age. We are excited to see how our young participants imagine life with AI—from optimistic dreams to thoughtful concerns—and turn those visions into inspiring artworks.

Let your imagination take flight and show us your vision of the future. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create! Please scroll down below on more information and register for the art competition!

Competition Grouping

Junior group: 10-12 years old

Youth group: 13-16 years old

Rules for "Dream of an AI-Era" 2025 Art Competition

  • (1) Size of the Artwork:
  • A3 size (297mm x 420mm). Both horizontal and vertical formats are accepted.
  • (2) Painting medium:
  • Participants may use any medium, including pencil, carbon stick, carbon lead, marker, acrylic, oil, watercolor paint and ink, etc. or a combination of media.
  • （3）Screen requirements：
  • The entries must revolve around the theme of "My AI Dream Era " and express the relationship, interaction or future imagination between humans and artificial intelligence.
  • Works must be original and plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
  • The work must be a two-dimensional creation and cannot be in three-dimensional or installation form.
  • （4）Competition Fee:
  • Each participant is required to pay a registration fee of $28.
  • （5）Competition duration：
  • Submission time: Artworks will be accepted starting from 1 August 2025 - 30 September 2025

  • Deadline for submission of works: 30 September 2025 by 6PM SGT.

    Competition results announcement date: 12pm on 10 November 2025 (Results will be announced on our website visualartscentre.sg)

(6) Registration and participation instructions:

Participants are required to fill in and submit the registration form (click here) between 12pm on 28 March 2025 and 12pm on 30 October 2025, and pay the registration fee ($28) online or offline.

Participants must enter the Youth Category based on their age at the time of submission. 10-13 years old, Group B Youth Category: 13-16 years old. Singapore citizens, permanent residents and student visa holders are eligible to register. Participants must reside in Singapore during the competition.

When submitting their work, participants must submit their work and indicate on the back of the work:

1. Title of the work

2. Name of the artist

3. Contact information of the author’s parents

4. 50-word description of the work

Works must be submitted between 12pm on 30 July 2025 and 12pm on 30 October 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted.

The Judging Panel：

The judges of this competition consist of Senior artists and professional judges from the Visual Arts Centre. They will score the works based on multiple aspects such as creativity, skill level, and thematic expression.

Evaluation Rules:

Artworks submitted for “Dream of an AI-Era” must be according to the theme. Participants are recommended to use their imagination to create works. Children and Youths are required to complete their work independently and create original works. The works created need to echo the theme of the competition. Works that are off-topic will not be included in the selection.

The judges will score the works from three aspects:

  • 60% for the conception and the theme of appeal,
  • 30% for the painting skills
  • 10% for the presentation method.

The sum of the three scores is the total score of the evaluation.

All works will be evaluated based on creativity, artistic expression, technical skills, theme relevance and other standards.

The Top 10 artworks in each group category will receive the shortlisted awards and have priority in exhibition opportunities.

During the selection process, if the judges believe that some works have extremely high artistic value, they will be given special recommendation awards.

Awards:

All contestants will receive an electronic certificate, the six winning contestants will receive a physical certificate and prize money, and the 40 winning contestants will receive a physical certificate and prize money.

Junior category (10-13 years old):

First prize (one person): $300 prize, prize: 4 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $240)
Second prize (one person): $200 prize, prize: 3 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $180)
Third prize (one person): $100 prize, prize: 3 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $180)
Excellent Work Award: 20 people, prize: 4 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $240)

Youth Category (13-16 years old):

First Prize (one person): Prize of $300, Prize: 4 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $240)
Second Prize (one person): Prize of $200, Prize: 3 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $180)
Third Prize (one person): Prize of $100, Prize: 3 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $180)
Excellent Work Award: 20 persons, Prize: 4 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $240)

Post-competition exhibition schedule:

Exhibition location: Singapore Visual Arts Centre Exhibition Hall

The exhibition will showcase the winning contestants’ works and the remaining fifty finalists’ works. All exhibition works will be sold at a price, and all proceeds will be donated to charities in Singapore.

Post-competition exhibition schedule:

Exhibition location: Singapore Visual Arts Centre – Exhibition Gallery 
The exhibition will showcase the winning contestants’ works and the remaining fifty finalists’ works. All exhibition works will be sold at a price, and all proceeds will be donated to charities in Singapore.

QR Code Payment for registration

Please fill in the contestant’s name as your reference number before transferring. (click here to register)

Q&A

1）Who can participate in this Art Competition?
The competition is open to Children and Youths around the ages of 10-16. Singapore citizens, permanent residents and student visa holders are welcome to register. Participants must reside in Singapore during the competition. Participants must participate in Group A – Teenagers (10-13 years old) or Group B – Youth (13-16 years old) according to their age at the time of submission.

The competition judges will evaluate the entries from three aspects: concept of the theme (60%), painting skills (30%) and presentation (10%). The entries will be ranked according to the scores of these three aspects.

The theme of this competition is “Dream of an AI-Era”. We hope to see contestants show the creative collision and interaction between humans and artificial intelligence through their works. Whether it is imagining the future of AI or exploring the infinite possibilities of combining technology and art.

Contestants need to complete an original work that meets the above theme alone. This work cannot borrow from or plagiarize any painting or completely copy the picture.

The registration period is from 12:00 pm on 1 August 2025 to 6:00 pm on 30 October, 2025. Participants who register on or after 12:01 pm on October 30, 2025 will not be considered.

Participants are required to fill in the registration information and pay the registration fee ($28). You will receive a registration confirmation email within one week after successful registration.

The deadline for submission is 6:00 pm on 30 September, 2025. 

Works submitted on or after 6.01 pm on 30 September 2021 will not be considered.

When submitting your work offline, participants need to submit your work and indicate the following on the back of the work:

1. Title of the work

2. Name of the author

3. Contact information of the author’s parents

4. 50-word description of the work

You will receive an email indicating that your submission has been successful after submission.

A3 Size（297mm X 420mm）

Both horizontal and vertical banners are acceptable.

Participants can use any medium, including pencil, carbon stick, carbon lead, marker, acrylic, oil paint,  watercolor,  ink, etc. or a combination of media.

Participants can use sketch paper, watercolor paper, rice paper, canvas, etc. to complete their works.

The following will be selected for the Junior Group (Group A) and the Youth Group (Group B):

First Prize (one person): $300 prize, prize: 4 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $240)

Second Prize (one person): $200 prize, prize: 3 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $180)

Third Prize (one person): $100 prize, prize: 3 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $180)

Excellent Work Award: 20 people, prize: 4 art classes at the Singapore Visual Arts Centre (valued at $240)

The entries must be created specifically for this competition. The paintings should be created between 28/03/2025 and 30/10/2025.

According to the theme of this competition, participants can use their imagination to create. Participants are required to complete the works independently and they must be original works. The works created need to echo the theme of the competition. Works that are off-topic or off-topic will not be included in the selection range.

Participants must ensure that the state of their works can be exhibited and presented, because the winning works of the first, second, third and shortlisted Shining Works Awards will be exhibited at the competition exhibition award ceremony for the public to appreciate.

The entries must be created specifically for this competition. The paintings should be created between 28/03/2025 and 30/9/2025.

According to the theme of this competition, participants can use their imagination to create. Participants are required to complete the works independently and they must be original works. The works created need to echo the theme of the competition. Works that are off-topic or off-topic will not be included in the selection range.

Participants must ensure that the state of their works can be exhibited and presented, because the winning works of the first, second, third and shortlisted Shining Works Awards will be exhibited at the competition exhibition award ceremony for the public to appreciate.

For competition-related matters, please contact:
Singapore Visual Arts Centre Address: 10 Penang Road 01-02 Dhoby Ghaut Green, S238469 / 140 Paya Lebar Road, 03-04 AZ @ Paya Lebar, S409015

For other enquiries, please contact: info@visualartscentre.sg / +(65) 6255 0711

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Visual Arts Centre

  • Dhoby Ghaut Art Studio

    10 Penang Road,
    #01-02 Dhoby Ghaut Green,
    Singapore 238469

  • MacPherson Art Studio

    140 Paya Lebar Road,
    #03-04 AZ@Paya Lebar Building,
    Singapore 409015

  • 6255 0711

  • info@visualartscentre.sg

  • 62550711

  • 67332155

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    Dhoby Ghaut Art Studio
    Monday to Sunday: 11am – 8pm Closed on Public Holidays, except by appointment.

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    By appointment only

VISUAL ARTS CENTRE

Visual Arts Centre is an exhibition gallery and art studio at Dhoby Ghaut Green supported by the National Parks Board and the National Arts Council.

Since its initiation on 31 January 2016, the Visual Arts Centre Exhibition Gallery has hosted over two hundred international and local art and design exhibitions, boasting a diverse range of art styles and programmes.

Email:
info@visualartscentre.sg

Phone:
+65 6255 0711
+65 6733 2155

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