KUCHING: Do you know that Borneo Cultures Museum has conducted an Online Photography Competition, an Online Essay Writing and the Sarawak Museum Numismatic Collection Virtual Exhibition E-quiz?
The purpose of the competitions was to further enliven the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the Sarawak Museum.
The museum, built in 1891, is one of the oldest in Southeast Asia. It was built to store and display local indigenous handicrafts and natural collections in Sarawak.
“The online competitions aimed to attract young people who are more inclined to the use of digital technology. It was held throughout 2021.
“The main objective was to help the Sarawak Museum Department identify cultural heritage that has a high historical value in Sarawak.
It also aimed to hone creative and critical thinking skills,” explained Tazudin Mohtar, director of Borneo Cultures Museum.
“The competition was created in response to the call of the World Museum Organisation (ICOM). The 2021 theme was “The Future of Museums: Restoration and Imaging” which encouraged the use of sustainable digital technologies that could boost the development of museums and society, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has seen a decrease in the number of physical visitors including the number of visitors to galleries under the auspices of the Sarawak Museum Department.
“Thus, the department had taken the initiative to use a virtual exhibition platform,” he added in his speech yesterday.
Three winners of the object photography category were announced in December 2021.
First place winner, Lim Goh Tong from Sibu received a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 and a certificate of appreciation
Second place winner, Melynda Lynda received a Huawei MatePad T and certificate of appreciation while third place winner, Hazirah Za’abah of Kuching received a Samsung Galaxy A02
E-certificates were given to the other participants.
First place winner for the Online Essay Writing, Luqman Jaya from UNIMAS, received RM800 cash and a certificate of appreciation. He wrote about the role of museums in uniting the community in
Sarawak.
Second place winner, Victor Chin Yi Lun from the Batu Lintang Campus Teacher Education Institute received RM500 cash and a certificate of appreciation. He also wrote about the role of museums in uniting the community in Sarawak.
Third place winner, Mohamad Faizuan Mat from UNIMAS received RM300 cash and a certificate of appreciation. He
also wrote about the role of museums in uniting the community in Sarawak.
A total of 1,416 virtual visitors were recorded for the collection’s virtual numismatics exhibition. Of the total, 1,353 virtual visitors were Malaysians while the rest were virtual visitors from abroad.
Meanwhile, the e-quiz activity attracted 351 participants. Of the total, 50 participants were selected as e-quiz winners.
