At the award ceremony of the 30th Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition (大墩美展), the Mayor of Taichung officially announced the five winners of the Da Dun Prize (「大墩獎」). Mayor Lu noted that this year marks the 30th edition of the exhibition, and since last year, the total prize amount has been increased to NT$5.69 million, making it the largest publicly organized art exhibition in Taiwan in terms of both prize value and number of submissions. The award-winning works will be prominently exhibited at the Taichung City Dadun Cultural Center.

Mayor Lu remarked that this year’s Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition holds special significance as it marks its 30th anniversary. What began three decades ago as a local exhibition has since evolved into the nation’s most prestigious and highest-awarded public art competition, now recognized as a world-class artistic platform. Each year, the Taichung City Government promotes the winning works for international exhibitions, showcasing the strength and charm of Taichung’s art scene.

Mayor Lu also noted that this year represents another important milestone in Taichung’s cultural development－the Taichung Green Museumbrary (臺中市立美術館「綠美圖」), the city’s new art museum, will officially open on December 13. Taichung will continue to strengthen its artistic and cultural foundations, fostering a city where artists can freely express their creativity and citizens can experience the beauty of art. She congratulated all the award recipients and expressed her hope that the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition will continue to shine and inspire for years to come.

According to the Cultural Affairs Bureau, this year’s Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition attracted an impressive 1,345 submissions, including 52 outstanding international entries from artists representing 21 countries, such as Mongolia, Malaysia, Japan, and France. The competition was highly intense, and after a rigorous two-stage selection process consisting of preliminary and final reviews, 182 award-winning works were selected. Among these award-winning works, the Da Dun Prize, announced and presented at today’s ceremony, is the highest honor—selected from the first-place winners in 11 categories, with only five artists receiving this distinction, making it an achievement of exceptional prestige. The award-winning Da Dun Prize works will also be collected by the Cultural Affairs Bureau. This year’s five Da Dun Prize winners are: Ink Wash Painting: CHANG CHIEN Ke-Yun (張簡可筠); Glue Color Painting: LIN Yu-Chuan (林宇荃); Oil Painting: CHU Hsuan (曲宣); Watercolor Painting: WU Wei-Hao (吳威澔); Sculpture: LIAO Hung-Hsu (廖鴻旭). In addition to the NT$180,000 first-place award, each Da Dun Prize recipient also receives an additional NT$200,000 for their collected works.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau noted the Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition—one of Taiwan’s most historic and representative art platforms—has long nurtured numerous artists who remain deeply committed to their craft and continue to refine their artistic skills through active participation in competitions. For example, after winning first place and the Da Dun Prize in Seal Engraving in 2014, artist MO Hsuan-Lin (莫昍霖) once again claimed first place in the same category in both 2023 and 2024, earning him the distinction of a three-time champion. This year, he participated with a large-scale work titled “Catching Clouds and Making Dragons.” (〈捉雲作龍〉) Meanwhile, in the Crafts category, SHI Huei-Min (施惠閔), renowned for her bamboo artistry, took first place once again. She had previously won first place in the 15th and 16th editions of the exhibition over a decade ago and has now reclaimed the title with her award-winning work “Golden Harvest & Hamster Trails.” (〈金穗倉痕〉) Using refined bamboo carving techniques, the work beautifully captures the poetic essence of rural life, with lifelike depictions of wheat and hamsters—a truly captivating piece worthy of admiration. 

The Cultural Affairs Bureau also noted that emerging young talents delivered remarkable performances this year as well. WU Wei-Hao (吳威澔), at just 23 years old, won first place in the Watercolor category with his work “In The Dream.” (〈夢裡〉) The work, rendered in dark and mystical tones, vividly captures the subconscious state of the human mind during sleep, demonstrating both technical maturity and creative ingenuity. Another artist of the same age group, CHU Hsuan (曲宣), earned first place in the Oil Painting category with “Coexistence.” (〈貧瘠之間-共生〉) The work boldly employs a black-and-white palette to depict the interwoven and proliferating forms of withered branches. As for LIAO Hung-Hsu (廖鴻旭), who is of the same age as CHU Hsuan (曲宣), received first place in the Sculpture category for “Turning Stones Into Gold.” (〈點石成金〉) The artist transformed quarried black granite through polishing and refining, creating forms of striking tension and elegance. By overlaying fragments with gold leaf, the work symbolizes the transformation of the impossible into the possible—a powerful metaphor for artistic creation.