LAHORE: The Punjab Arts Council (PAC) will hold visual arts and theatre competitions at the divisional, district and provincial levels, officials told Dawn on Saturday.

Officials says the PAC will hold a painting competition titled, ‘First Punjab Painting Competition 2024 from District to Province Level’ to promote creativity, engage communities, and showcase artistic talent from the grassroots level.

According to PAC Executive Director Syed Bilal Haider, the competition to be held every year will provide a platform, especially for children and young adults, to explore their creativity and encourage them to think out of the box, experiment with different techniques, and express their ideas visually.

He says such painting competitions celebrate cultural diversity and heritage by encouraging the participants to draw inspiration from their cultural backgrounds. This helps in preserving and promoting various artistic traditions, styles, and techniques, contributing to the enrichment of the cultural identity.

The painting competition will be held at the district level from February 23rd to 29th, at the divisional level on March 6 and the provincial level on March 8.

The cash prizes for the top three position-holders at the district level will be Rs15,000, Rs10000 and Rs5,000, respectively. At the divisional level the cash prizes will be Rs25,000, Rs20,000, and Rs15,000 for the first, second and third positions,respectively and at the provincial level Rs200,000, Rs150,000, and Rs100,000. The age limit for the competition will be 16 to 35 years.

The PAC will also hold a theatre competition across the province under the title, ‘ First Punjab Theater Competition 2024’, celebrating the rich cultural heritage and artistic talent of the province.

According to Mr Haider, the theatre contest will provide participants with an opportunity to express themselves artistically through acting, direction, scriptwriting, stage design, and other creative aspects of theatre production.

The competition will also feature the grassroots productions that highlight social issues, historical events, or regional folklore.

The contest will be held on March 2 at the divisional level and on March 9 at the provincial level. The first, second and third cash prizes for the divisional level contest will be Rs25,000,

Rs20,000 and Rs15,000, whereas cash prizes for the provincial level for the top three positions will be Rs200,000, Rs150,000 and Rs100,000.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2024