ComBank’s ‘Arunalu Siththam 2025’ invites young imaginations to shine with art and win big

Brushes out, imaginations ready – ‘Arunalu Siththam,’ Sri Lanka’s much-loved online children’s art competition, is back for 2025. 

Organised for the sixth time by the Commercial Bank of Ceylon, this exciting island-wide and international art contest has opened digitally, inviting children between the ages of 4 and 16 to unleash their creativity and compete for over Rs 4.8 million in cash prizes and certificates.

A platform for young talent to shine beyond borders, Arunalu Siththam 2025 is open to children living in Sri Lanka as well as Sri Lankan children residing overseas. As in previous years, the competition will be conducted entirely online. Participants can submit their artwork by simply uploading a scanned image to the dedicated website – www.arunalusiththam.lk – on or before 31st August 2025.

Entries will be judged across five age categories: 4–5, 6–7, 8–10, 11–13 and 14–16 years. Every child is welcome to take part, regardless of whether they hold a Commercial Bank account, the Bank said. Winners in Sri Lanka will first be selected at the provincial level, before advancing to compete nationally for top honours.

What’s at stake? National-level winners in each age category will walk away with cash prizes of Rs 100,000, Rs 75,000, and Rs 50,000 for first, second, and third places respectively, while top three winners in each age group in each of the nine provinces will be awarded Rs 25,000, Rs 15,000, and Rs 10,000 each. Merit certificates will be presented to hundreds of budding artists who place 4th to 10th in each province—making sure no young talent goes unrecognised.

The competition also acknowledges the institutions that encourage participation, awarding Rs 50,000 each to the school in every district that submits the highest number of entries—totalling Rs 1.25 million in school prizes.

Adding a global touch, children of Sri Lankans living abroad can also take part, with one winner from each age category standing to win Rs 50,000 for the best entry from overseas.

Special prizes await existing Commercial Bank ‘Arunalu’ or ‘Isuru’ children’s account holders who win cash prizes, making this an extra rewarding experience for young customers of the Bank.

All drawings will be evaluated by an expert panel of judges, with every decision guided by artistic merit and originality. The competition aims not only to reward but to inspire children to express themselves freely and develop their creative confidence, the Bank said.

Launched in 2017 and held virtually since 2021, Arunalu Siththam is part of Commercial Bank’s ongoing commitment to nurture the next generation through its flagship children’s savings product, Arunalu. The Bank has a proud tradition of promoting educational and creative excellence among young Sri Lankans.

Commercial Bank is the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and has the highest market capitalisation in the Banking Sector in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE). The Bank is the largest private sector lender, the largest lender to the SME sector, is a leader in digital innovation and is Sri Lanka’s first 100% carbon-neutral bank.

Commercial Bank operates a strategically located network of branches and automated machines island-wide, and has the widest international footprint among Sri Lankan banks, with 20 outlets in Bangladesh, a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake in the Maldives, and a Microfinance company in Myanmar. The Bank recently opened a representative office within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), taking a significant step towards broadening its global footprint. The Bank’s fully-owned subsidiary CBC Finance Ltd., also delivers a range of financial services via its own branch network.

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