Nationwide 'Battle of the Arts' competition launches in the UAE

The competition will feature various categories, including theatre and voice, visual arts, music, photography, and Arabic calligraphy

Artist pens some Arabic calligraphy. Randi Sokoloff / The National

If you’ve used your downtime during the pandemic to hone your Arabic calligraphy strokes or run vocal scales, now may be a good time to put your practice to the test.

A nationwide arts competition is now accepting submissions from children and young adults, inspiring them to exhibit their talents in a number of artistic disciplines.

The Battle of the Arts – which is organised by Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism in conjunction with some of capital's leading creative institutions – will feature a series of 10 online competitions.

The competitions take place across various categories, including theatre and voice, visual arts, music, photography, Arabic calligraphy, as well as a multi-disciplinary category.

They have been developed in collaboration with Berklee Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Qasr Al Hosn, Al Dar Academies, Manarat Al Saadiyat Photography Studio as well as the Art Studio, the Department of Education and Knowledge, and the Cultural Foundation’s Bait al Khatt.

The competitions – which are open to young people of all artistic ability – will be accepting submissions until Monday, August 24.

The first round of winners will be selected by a jury panel from each partner organisation, with prizes awarded within each category and age group. All winning artworks will be exhibited in an online student showcase.

The winners from each category will then automatically be entered into a final People’s Choice competition, which will see the community and the wider UAE public called upon to vote for their favourite artworks through the CulturALL Youth social media platforms, choosing who will be crowned the ultimate champions of the inaugural competition. The final winners will be announced on Thursday, September 3.

For more information about Battle of the Arts, and to register to compete, please visit the Abu Dhabi Culture website at www.abudhabiculture.ae.