The One Academy's Hall of Fame 2026 brought together students, lecturers, alumni and industry guests for an inspiring celebration of creativity, innovation and artistic achievement. This year's event highlighted the exceptional talent and dedication of students across diverse creative disciplines. The event featured an impressive exhibition showcase, transforming the venue into a vibrant gallery of outstanding student work. From graphic design and illustration to animation, digital media, interior architecture, and other creative fields, visitors explored projects that reflected months of research, experimentation and craftsmanship. Each exhibit demonstrated not only technical excellence but also the originality and passion that define our creative community. The highlight of the evening was the prestigious Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony, where outstanding student projects across all majors were recognised for their excellence in concept, execution and innovation. As recipients took to the stage, the ceremony served as both a recognition of their achievements and an inspiration for aspiring creatives, exemplifying the academy's commitment to nurturing creative thinkers and future industry leaders. The event kept the audience on the edge of their seats as the winners were announced. The Best of the Best Idea award was presented to ‘Briefly Speaking’ by Hii Xin Hui in the Self-Promotion category, while the Best of the Best Craft award went to ‘The Last Alkonost’ in the Animated Short Film category. Adding to the celebratory atmosphere, members of the Music Club delivered a series of live performances that energized the audience throughout the evening. Their performances created memorable moments between award presentations and exhibition visits, showcasing another dimension of the academy's vibrant student culture. More than an awards presentation, Hall of Fame 2026 served as a platform to celebrate the creative journey of every student. It reflected the countless hours of dedication, collaboration, and perseverance invested in bringing ideas to life while providing opportunities for meaningful connections between students, educators, alumni and industry professionals. As the event concluded, Hall of Fame 2026 reaffirmed The One Academy's commitment to fostering creative excellence and empowering the next generation of designers, artists and innovators. The remarkable works on display and the achievements celebrated throughout the evening stand as a testament to the academy's vision of inspiring creativity that makes a lasting impact.

The London-based D&AD Awards are widely regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious accolades in advertising and graphic design. In the winners’ announcement on 30 June 2026, only two submissions from Malaysia received awards in this highly competitive international competition. A team of four students from the Diploma in Visual Communication Design programme – Sun Jia Yang, Amy Ding Zi Yi, Arviola Poa and Puteri Nur Mysarah Iskandar – won one of the most prestigious honours, the “Wood Pencil”, at the international D&AD New Blood Awards. The award recognises outstanding work by students and emerging creatives in design, advertising, illustration, animation, digital, branding, product design, and related creative disciplines. This latest achievement marks another milestone for The One Academy, bringing a total of eight awards won in the five years we have participated in the D&AD New Blood Awards, underscoring our academy’s consistent success on the international creative stage. Participating in the competition was both an exciting and meaningful experience for the team. The journey was far from easy, as many of their proposed ideas were rejected during critique sessions with their lecturers. “However, thanks to the guidance of our lecturers and our team’s determination to never give up, we eventually brought home the Wood Pencil. Winning this award made me realise that all the hard work, rejection and constant refinement were worth it,” said Sun. Their winning submission, “Send Me Shifts”, was awarded as one of the best works of the year in its category. The team responded to a creative brief by giffgaff and The Big Issue to develop a solution addressing how mobile connectivity and data can be used as a force for social good to support people experiencing digital exclusion. Participants were challenged to create innovative ideas that help disadvantaged people access opportunities while using connectivity as a tool for education, employment and financial inclusion. “Our idea is simple but powerful. There are around one million NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) in the UK. At the same time, many gig job opportunities are available online. Through our research, we discovered that some people owned smartphones but couldn't afford mobile data. So, we came up with a tagged SIM card that delivers gig job opportunities via SMS without requiring mobile data or Wi-Fi,” Sun explained. Reflecting on their experience, the team shared that The One Academy has trained them to think more critically and empathetically as designers. They learned to prioritise solving real problems over creating work that merely looks visually appealing, and to let go of ideas they personally favoured if those ideas did not effectively address the client's objectives. “If you put in the effort, do proper research, stay curious, and never give up, you’ll eventually develop ideas that genuinely solve problems. A great idea is important, but strong execution is what brings that idea to life. Don't be afraid to experiment, learn new techniques, enjoy the learning process, and keep improving with every project,” he concluded.

The nation’s largest secondary school art competition, the Malaysia Top 10 Outstanding Young Artists Awards (MT10), has made a comeback – bigger and bolder than ever! Offering lucrative scholarships from The One Academy and cash prizes, this highly anticipated annual competition attracts thousands of aspiring young artists eager to showcase their talents and compete among their creative peers. Now in its 29th year, MT10 once again collaborated with The Walt Disney Company, featuring Disney•Pixar's Toy Story 5 as this year's competition theme. The drawing prompt, "A Toy's Promise," invited participants to revisit their childhood and illustrate the role toys have played in their journey of growing up, as well as the cherished memories they share. Through their artwork, contestants explored the unseen bond between a toy and its owner. Held from May onwards, this national-level drawing competition, open to secondary school students aged 14 to 18, was conducted across 13 locations in eight states. The competition culminated in the Grand Finale and Awards Ceremony on 26 July at The One Academy's main campus in Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya. For nearly three decades, MT10 has served as a launchpad for aspiring creatives, empowering young talents to pursue their artistic dreams. Since its inception, the competition has awarded more than RM21.7 million in scholarships and cash prizes to outstanding students nationwide. The prestigious "Best of the Best" Gold Award was presented to Lim Hong Ze from Johor, who took home a RM90,000 scholarship from The One Academy and a RM3,000 cash prize. The Silver Award went to Chong Zi Xuan from Perak, who received a RM70,000 scholarship and a RM2,000 cash prize, while the Bronze Award was presented to Law Sin Yow from Kuala Lumpur, who was awarded a RM50,000 scholarship and a RM1,000 cash prize. The 10 Young Artists Awards winners were Zeti Nurhumaira Harumi binti Mohamad Zulkeflee (Melaka), Liew Chui Ying (Johor), Janice Sim Yan Sze (Johor), Chong Kai En (Perak), Aqilah binti Zulkarnain (Sabah), Siew Hou Yim (Johor), Keira Chan Ik Xin (Sarawak), Liew Jae Ning (Selangor), Serenne Chan Su Xin (Johor), and Khor Ruyvi (Penang). Each of them received a RM30,000 scholarship from The One Academy and a RM500 cash prize in recognition of their achievement. The recipients of the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Top 10 Young Artists awards also received exclusive Toy Story 5 merchandise. Beyond the top awards, another 27 participants walked away with the Encouragement Prize, each receiving a RM8,000 scholarship, while 50 participants were presented with the Jury's Special Selection Prize, each awarded a RM5,000 scholarship. Students, families and teachers also immersed themselves in the Creative Art Exploration at The One Academy’s Bandar Sunway campus, where they explored the vibrant learning environment, inspiring student artworks, interactive installations, 3D animation showcases, live digital art demonstrations, fashion showcases, fine art exhibitions, creative seminars, and much more.

ESMOD Kuala Lumpur is collaborating with Nuwa Pierre, a luxury jade jewellery brand, on an exciting jewellery design project tailored for the Malaysian market. During a workshop conducted by the brand's representatives on campus, students were introduced to the fascinating world of jade, exploring its cultural significance, the characteristics of its two main varieties – jadeite and nephrite – and their applications in contemporary jewellery design. To inspire the creative process, students had the rare opportunity to examine an exclusive selection of jade samples up close, ranging from raw stones to exquisitely polished pieces, including a remarkable jade specimen valued at USD10,000. This hands-on experience allowed them to appreciate the material's natural beauty, craftsmanship and design potential. As part of the upcoming semester's industry project, Nuwa Pierre will provide authentic jade materials for Year 3 students to conceptualise, design and create original jewellery and accessories. Selected designs will be professionally produced and may be commercialised, giving students invaluable exposure to the complete design journey – from concept development and material exploration to production and the marketplace. By collaborating directly with an established luxury jewellery brand, students gain first-hand insight into industry expectations while developing designs that balance creativity, craftsmanship and commercial viability. This partnership exemplifies ESMOD Kuala Lumpur's commitment to bridging creative education with professional practice, empowering students with authentic industry experience before they graduate.