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To facilitate discourse, research, and critical examination of the art of calligraphy, the Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts (TMoFA) commenced the acceptance of submissions for the 2nd Hengshan Awards: Biennial Awards for Calligraphy Research and Criticism (Hengshan Awards) in 2022. The award ceremony was held at the Hengshan Calligraphy Art Center (HCAC) on July 1. On behalf of the panel of judges, honorary professor Hsiao Chong-ray of the Department of History, National Cheng Kung University was invited to give a speech. The awards were presented by Director Chiu Cheng-sheng of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taoyuan and the international judging panel. Symposiums were also held on the event day, providing in-depth analysis and discussions on the winning research papers and art criticism, delving into contemporary perspectives on calligraphy research and criticism. The winning articles have been published in the paper compilation for this year's event. Additionally, to further incentivize calligraphy research, shortlisted works were also included in the compilation.

For this year's Hengshan Awards, a judging panel consisting of 10 experts and art critics from Japan, the US, China, and Taiwan meticulously selected the winners through two rounds of judging. The panel recognized six standout articles among the submissions. One notable achievement is Mai Ching-yueh's “Revealing the Secret Improvement Process of Yu Youren's Standard Cursive Script and Distinguishing True and False on the Special Editions”, which claimed first place in the Calligraphy Research category. Additionally, three other papers received the Merit Award:  “A Study on The Research and Application of Calligraphers' on Ancient ‘Folk Calligraphy’ in the Late Qing and Early Republic Eras - Shen Zengzhi as Example” by Chiang Ya-hui, “Research on the Origin and Development of Cursive Configuration in Sun Guoh-Tyng's Shu Pu” by Chang Li-lien, and “A Preliminary Study on Using the Optical 3D Scanning Technology to Simulate Traditional Stone Tablet Inscriptions Rubbings and to Restore the Damaged Characters: Taking the Fu Kang An Ji Gong Monument in Chiayi City as an Example” by Chung Yueh-lung. In the Calligraphy Criticism category, two articles were awarded the Merit Award “The Continuing Intention - From the Debate between Tradition and Modernity to the Creation of Cursive Script” by Lee Tsui-ying and “The Crisscrossing of Contemporary Calligraphy - a Review of Developments and Possibilities” by Fung Yee-lick Eric. The submissions covered a wide range of topics, spanning from ancient to contemporary calligraphy, thereby showcasing remarkable diversity in perspectives and the profoundness of contemporary calligraphy research and criticism.

Chiu Cheng-sheng, Director of Taoyuan's Department of Cultural Affairs emphasized that TMoFA operates on the foundation of combining localization and internationalization. The Hengshan Awards serve to both cultivate local culture and expand international connections, with the goal of becoming an iconic calligraphy award in East Asia. The Hengshan Awards have become a significant annual event for TMoFA and the calligraphy community. The Department of Cultural Affairs remains committed to promoting diverse activities that foster local and international connections.

TMoFA founded the Hengshan Awards in 2020, and the two editions of the awards have generated remarkable research papers. The establishment of these awards and the publication of paper compilations are anticipated to ignite greater interest in historical research and art criticism of calligraphy, leading to further breakthroughs in calligraphy research and criticism in Taiwan and even on an international level. The Hengshan Calligraphy Awards will continue this year (2023) as a competition in the form of a calligraphy exhibition. Winning exhibitions will be invited to curate a new exhibition at HCAC. Submissions for the Hengshan Calligraphy Awards are exclusively accepted online. Please visit the Hengshan Awards website to make a submission (Link).