Students across the Maldives are being invited to put their ideas about money, saving and the future onto canvas or screen as part of a new art competition launched by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA).
The Money Matters Art Competition has opened as part of MMA FinLit Fest 2026, combining financial literacy with creative expression for students in Grades 5 to 9.
Participants will have the opportunity to compete for cash prizes of up to MVR 3,000, while selected artwork could also be displayed through MMA exhibitions, events and public awareness campaigns.
The competition is divided into two age groups, with one category for students in Grades 5 to 7 and another covering Grades 8 and 9.
Students in either group can choose between digital and non-digital artwork, allowing entries ranging from digitally created illustrations to traditional forms of visual art.
Rather than simply testing students on financial concepts, the competition encourages them to interpret ideas surrounding money through their own creative perspectives.
Themes include making smart financial decisions, saving and setting financial goals, financial inclusion, innovation and the future of money, as well as responsible and sustainable approaches to finance.
The themes are designed to encourage young people to think about how financial decisions affect their lives today and how money and financial services could evolve in the future.
Winners will receive cash prizes and certificates, with the highest prize valued at MVR 3,000.
The competition could also give students’ work an audience beyond the judging process.
Selected entries may be displayed at MMA events and exhibitions or used in the central bank’s publications, digital campaigns and financial awareness materials.
Students have until 11:59 pm on November 1 to submit their entries.
Digital entries can be submitted electronically to the MMA, while students producing physical artwork can deliver or send their submissions to the authority’s headquarters in Malé.
The MMA has also published a participant guidebook outlining the competition’s eligibility requirements, themes, submission procedures and judging criteria.
FinLit Fest forms part of the MMA’s wider financial literacy efforts, which seek to improve public understanding of everyday financial matters and encourage more informed decisions about money.
Financial literacy initiatives aimed at younger age groups increasingly focus on developing habits around saving, budgeting and responsible spending before students begin independently managing their finances.
Through the Money Matters competition, the MMA is taking a different approach to that objective by asking students to communicate those ideas visually rather than through a conventional financial education exercise.
Students interested in participating have been advised to review the official competition guidebook before preparing and submitting their artwork.
