The international art event, The E.Sun Art Awards 2026, is not only an event in isolation but a form of untapped potential showcasing a sacred appreciation of YuShan National Park through the alchemy of creative technique. The awards initiative embarks on nurturing collective inspiration, whilst establishing an appreciation for a homeland. The awards grant a platform for both Taiwanese and international artists to illuminate a narrative of the verdant slopes of their mountainous sanctuary, breathing life into an aim of fulfilling heritage and homeland, building the composition of community, creativity, and beauty with the stroke of a brush.
The awards event, organised by E.Sun Bank, E.SUN FHC, and E.SUN Culture and Education Foundation, and curated for artists, creatives, and citizens of the Republic of China nationality, together with a category for international entrants, stands on a more than a decade-long foundation of reputation. Emerging in 2012, Taiwan’s E.SUN Bank vision centred upon Taiwan’s natural landscape endeavoured to celebrate the majesty of Mount Jade in Yushuan National Park through a medium of oil, acrylic, or gouache, while deepening environmental and cultural consciousness. The E.SUN Art competition has since gained notability, reached an international stage in 2022, and begun to gain traction globally.
Breaking Boundaries across Continents
The 2022 edition of the award fell upon the 30th anniversary of the opening of E.SUN Bank. The creative heart centres on capturing Mount Jade within Yushan National Park, garnering over 3000 entries with international participation, reaching 72 countries across all continents, demonstrating exceptional success for the award’s first global open call. Through this initiative, the E.SUN Arts Awards helps in giving a platform to bond with artists who enable the evocation of nature’s beauty, through their depictions of Taiwan’s natural landscape.
Among the 2022 winning participants chosen for the award of Outstanding in the International Category, displayed work from Chi-Cheung Wong, The Lens of Jade – an oil painting of precision – created with verist technique to elemental untouched peaks of Mount Jade, to deepen collective public appreciation for Yushan’s ecological significance. Other highlighted pieces within the Outstanding Category included acrylic visual works from Chee-Keng Yap Yushan on the Screen and Acrylic Piece by artist Emi-Inaoka Gyokuza, both of which reveal the iconic peak in a stylised form, drawing from illustrative traditions but taking the use of bolder exaggeration through vibrant chromatic choices.
Both artists provided an exuberant colour palette, Yap’s Yushuan on the Screen, toying with rhythmic bands of vibrant colour, whilst Gyokuza’s acrylic work imparts an interplay of electric green against modulated bluer hues. Both works forged an alignment with the event’s objective vision and the perception of the viewer – demonstrating capacity within art to transcend disciplinary boundaries, while offering contemporary interpretations of Yushan’s perennial beauty, bridging the space between artistic expression and the natural world.
As part of the honoured cohort of recent years, a tapestry of perspectives emerges, each rendering the mountain range through its own visionary lens. The awards cast a wider net through their special selection category, bringing deserving artists into the light. The 2022 edition concluded with a collection of winning pieces that masterfully demonstrated and embodied the competition’s mission, showing how contemporary artists can align creative expression with corporate values while advancing meaningful ecological discourse. What distinguishes these winning pieces is their successful conveyance of deep environmental regard.
Through careful composition and a focused premise, the artists have created works that leave a strong, long-lasting impression on viewers. Each previously engaged artwork serves as both an achievement and an ambassador for Taiwan’s conservation, demonstrating art’s capacity to inspire environmental preservation. The E.SUN Art Awards continue to prove that corporate sponsorship and artistic integrity – when values align, both art and advocacy flourish.
Yushan Reimagined
Distinguished professionals from both academic and artistic sectors will serve on the judging panel during the initial and preliminary rounds of the art award, and the continuation of creative contributions aligns with E.SUN’s dedication to corporate sustainability and ethical investment values. We see through the E.SUN Art Awards how art is a catalyst for conservation awareness, inspiring individuals worldwide, and successfully highlighting a corner of the world’s natural beauty and ecological diversity.
The international category provides a multifaceted opportunity to its honorary recipient: a significant cash prize, credential-building through publication, and expanded visibility by means of Taiwan’s travelling exhibition network. Within its curatorial framework, the program asks this year’s participants to engage with a defined set of creative parameters; entries are limited to one original piece, artist-signed work per applicant.
Another year, artistic innovation carries forward Yushan’s legacy, with the E.SUN Art Awards 2026 is beginning its open call in three main categories: nationals of Taiwan (General public Category), student national category, and a compelling invitation to participants worldwide, with a prize of USD 36,000 for the First Prize of the International Category. Through exploration of the two themes: Yushan and Music, it draws on Yushan National Park’s environmental and natural landscape, and the essence of music on canvas. The awards successfully dedicates itself to industry and community engagement, all whilst maintaining the advancement of environmental awareness.
Open call for the preliminary stage runs from the beginning of February to July 17, 2026.
