8 July 2022, George Town – In conjunction with Malaysia Day and the culmination of the World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT) and TechFest in September, Digital Penang today announced a partnership with Malaysian NFT marketplace Pentas.io to launch a Malaysia Day NFT Art Competition themed ‘Wonders of Malaysia’ with cash prizes worth RM10,000 to be won. Open to all Malaysians from now till 20th August 2022, participants can mint their non-fungible token (NFT) in various art forms ranging from graphic designs, animations, photographs, videos to music.
The announcement was made at a press conference chaired by the Chief Minister of Penang YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow, alongside YB Zairil Khir Johari, Penang State EXCO for Infrastructure and Transport, and Vice Chairman of Digital Penang, CEO of Digital Penang Tony Yeoh, and Mr Irsyad Saidin, Founder of Pentas.io. Also present were the esteemed panel of judges from the arts and NFT scene namely Dr. Norfarizah Binti Mohd Bakhir from the School of Arts of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Mr. Moonjay, BadApe Limited Director, BadApe NFT Artist, and Mr. David Loh, a photojournalist and award-winning publisher.
“Tourism is one of the key economic pillars for Penang, attracting millions of tourists yearly. In the past couple of months, we have seen many tourists flocking into Penang, therefore, we believe that the theme ‘Wonders of Malaysia’ is timely to spread love and advocate unity. In line with the Penang2030 vision, we invite all Malaysians to share the beauty of Malaysia through their lenses in the form of digital art that will be showcased at a NFT Art Exhibition organised by Digital Penang from 14 to 17 September at Setia Spice Arena.”, said the Chief Minister.
With NFTs increasing globally and entering industries such as gaming, arts and collectibles, we have also seen several Malaysian NFT projects paving the way for artists to be involved in the digital ecosystem gaining international presence.
According to Pentas.io co-founder and CEO Irsyad Saidin, “The ASEAN region is leading when it comes to NFT adoption. According to last year’s survey conducted by a Singaporean research-based firm, Malaysia stands at number 3 in the world among the readiness to adopt NFT, right behind the Philippines and Thailand. This sentiment has been further affirmed by Pentas first quarter of 2022 page view that recorded a staggering 13 million page views.”.
“As part of our vision to drive the digital ecosystem and encourage entrepreneurial spirit, we aim to bring awareness, education and give the communities an experience on digital art through NFTs. This is in line with our mission to strengthen the digital ecosystem for Penang, and we hope through our strategic partnerships with Pentas – a Malaysian start-up that has established a marketplace for artists and start-ups; and Universiti of Malaysia’s school of Arts, we can create a sustainable ecosystem in the creative and digital arts industries.”, said Mr Tony Yeoh, CEO of Digital Penang.
Currently ranked Top 2 on Pentas.io, BadApe.io has collaborated with local businesses such as Kopi K, SUSANO streetwear, Nasty Worldwide and Ghard Skateshop to name a few. The collaborations enabled NFT holders to enjoy discounted prices, exclusivity to business, networking events and economically powered by the BadApe NFT team in the long haul. As one of the fastest growing Malaysian NFT projects in Southeast Asia, the BadApe team has shown grit since its launch in October 2021 with presence across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Europe and the United States.
The Malaysia Day NFT Art Competition by Digital Penang is a programme under its ‘A Digital Revolution’ event that will be held from 14 – 17 September 2022 where selected NFT artworks from the Competition will also be showcased at an exclusive 4-day NFT Art Exhibition from 14 to 17 September 2022 at SETIA SPICE ARENA. The Exhibition will see more than 50 digital assets from local NFT projects and NFT owners in a physical setting that will be open to public.
Members of the public can also participate for free in the ‘A Digital Revolution: DeFi | NFT | Metaverse | Web3’ Conference that will take place on 16 September 2022 at SETIA SPICE ARENA. The Conference will feature speakers from CoinGecko, Pentas.io, MX Global, BadApe.io, Seetizens Plus, and more. More details of the campaign are available on www.digitalpenang.my.
