Honouring the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Government for prospering the youth sector through various socio-cultural activities, Bangladesh was announced as the OIC Youth Capital 2020 on December 25, 2019, which was declared by the Istanbul-based Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), an entity affiliated to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). As part of the events celebrating this relationship and achievement, a month-long virtual exhibition titled Dhaka OIC Youth Capital 2020-21 'Bangabandhu-Youth Art Competition' kicked off on June 17, organized by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh, in association with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Bangladesh and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh.

The virtual exhibition was inaugurated on June 17 by State Minister for Youth and Sports Zahid Ahsan Russell as the chief guest. Taha Ayhan, President of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum ICYF, Istanbul, Turkey, also joined the event as the guest of honour at the virtual inauguration ceremony. Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Akhtar Hossain and Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Badrul Arefin also joined the inauguration ceremony as special guests, while the Director General of BSA Liaquat Ali Lucky delivered the welcome speech. The inauguration ceremony was chaired by State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid.

100 works of art selected in four categories are being displayed in this special virtual exhibition. A total of 335 artists, aged 18-35 from 57 member countries of the OIC and other countries registered themselves to participate in the competition from Bangladesh, Asia, and other world countries. There were four mediums of the competition - Contemporary Art, Calligraphy, Photography and Graphic Design. Participatory artists competed on six subjects of the paintings, including Bangabandhu and Bangladesh, COVID-19 Pandemic, Humanity in Refugee Crisis, Youth Spirit in Technology, Islamic Art, and Climate Change.

The judges from Bangladesh are Professor Jamal Ahmed, Professor Moinuddin Ahmed, artist Syeda Mahbuba Karim on Contemporary Art; Mustafa Zaman, Mahbub Morshed, Ferdous Ara Begum on Calligraphy, Professor Mamun Kaiser, Professor Naima Haque, artist Farzana Ahmed on Graphic Design and eminent photographer Nasir Ali Mamun, Khandaker Mofizul Islam and M Yusuf Ali on Photography. Judges who selected the artworks from Asia and other regions are Professor Basma Dajani (Jordan), Ferdous Ara Begum and Mustafa Zaman on Calligraphy; Professor Dr Marcus Graf (Germany), Ahmet Albayrak (Turkey), Kornelija Koneska (Macedonia), Professor Moinuddin Ahmed, Syeda Mahbuba Karim on Contemporary Art, Shaikha Al-Marri (Qatar), Professor Naima Haque, Professor Mamun Kaiser on Graphic Design and Murat Gur (Turkey), Mostafa Mahfouz Nouh (Egypt), Nasir Ali Mamun and Khandaker Mufizul Islam on Photography.

Each category includes a grand award comprising a certificate and USD 2500. Besides, all four categories will feature 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for artists representing the three regions. Each of the 1st prize winners from these categories will receive USD 500, while the 2nd prize winners will get USD 300 and the 3rd prize winners will receive USD 200.

The exhibition, echoing the theme of 'Parity and Prosperity', is now available for the art admirers at the virtual galleries and websites of BSA and OIC. The award-giving ceremony will be held virtually on June 20-21 and it will be streamed live on BSA's Facebook page and the OIC Youth Capital website.