One of the most coveted and controversial art prizes in town, the UOB Painting of the Year award returns for its 34th edition on Nov 4 at the Singapore Art Museum. Submissions are now open to compete for the top prize of US$25K in cash. 

With two distinctive categories, Established Artist and Emerging Artist, even novices can submit their work for competition. Here's what it says on its website: "The Emerging Artist category is open to aspiring artists who are pursuing an arts education; are taking their first steps to a career in art; or simply paint for pleasure." 

Past winners include full-time art practitioners and even students under 20 years of age, so it's a pretty open field. Even if you're a hobbyist who reckon that your latest painting is pretty good, you've got nothing to lose by submitting your work. In fact, there are no appplication fees. 

There has been some controversy around the prize as three winners in the past nine years have been under the age of 18.

The deadline is Sep 8. Log onto their site here to find out and to download the application form. You never know.