With the freedom to explore any theme or subject matter, all entries to the APBF Signature Art Prize must be original artworks started and completed during the period of 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2007. The Prize is open to all forms of visual art, from painting, to drawing, sculpture, mixed media, installation, video, photography, collage and textile. There is no restriction on the medium or size of the artwork which may be entered but the artwork must contain a significant visual component.

The Prize is open to artists residing in the following 12 countries: Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Participation is free of charge and there are no restrictions on age limit but entrants must be active art practitioners and have a record of exhibiting of at least one year.

Entry to the Prize is via nomination by a panel of experts. The nomination deadline has closed.

The winner of the APBF Signature Art Prize 2008 will be awarded the Grand Prize of $45,000. 3 artists will be awarded the Juror Prize worth $10,000. The will also be a People’s Choice Award, worth $10,000 for the finalist artwork that garners the most votes from the public. More information can be found by clicking on “People’s Choice Award”.

The winning artworks will be retained by the National Heritage Board of Singapore.

The entries will be judged according to the following criteria:

• Strength of the idea and concept
• Creative and interesting use of medium and material
• Technique, expression and form
• Artistic insight and interpretation
• Imagination and originality.
  

Phase 1 – Finalists’ Selection:
A designated Nominator from each of the 12 countries will nominate up to three artworks from his/her respective country. The Nominated Artworks will then be reviewed by the judges for the final selection phase.

Phase 2 – Prize Winners Selection:
The Finalists’ Artworks will be exhibited at SAM from 10 October to 16 November 2008. From the Finalists’ Artworks, the judges will select one artwork to receive the Grand Prize and three artworks to win the Juror’s Prizes. Additionally, the public can vote for their favourite Finalist artwork either online (1 Aug to 12 Oct) or in person at the Museum (10-12 Oct).