Kota Kinabalu: The AEIOU Comic Challenge empowers children with essential literacy skills, equipping them with financial knowledge through creative storytelling.
Late last year, 12-year-old Dana Dahlia Andy Zulkarnaen from SK St Francis Convent emerged as the champion, winning RM5,000 for her compelling comic on financial scams.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Dana, who was in Year 5 when she participated, clinched the top prize on her first attempt, showcasing her natural talent for storytelling and illustration. “The character design was all in my imagination,” she said, adding that she drew entirely from her creativity without external references.
In its seventh edition, the AEIOU Challenge saw a record-breaking 79,825 submissions from nearly 40,000 primary school students across Malaysia. The initiative aims to foster financial literacy among young minds, encouraging them to tackle real-world financial issues through comics.
Dana’s entry highlighted scam awareness – an issue that hit close to home when her mother, Farrah Neza Anjin, fell victim to a RM900 accommodation scam during the competition.
“I have been teaching her about financial scams, but then I got scammed myself,” Farrah admitted, underscoring the competition’s real-world relevance.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});For Dana, the biggest hurdle was completing her comic within the two-hour time limit, mainly the colouring and shading. Fortunately, she managed to finish after receiving an additional 20 minutes.
Her father, Andy Zulkarnaen Abd Rajied, lauded the competition for nurturing young talent and raising awareness about scams. “I didn’t know she could win out of 40,000 students,” he said.
Advertisement (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Dana’s school art teacher, Faidathul Adawiah A Malek, recognised her potential early on and selected her as one of 10 SK St Francis Convent students to submit entries.
The prize-giving ceremony, officiated by Deputy Education Minister Wong Kah Woh in Kuala Lumpur last November, saw winners take home a share of RM19,200 in cash prizes.
Backed by the Education Ministry and Bank Negara Malaysia, the AEIOU Challenge continues to expand, particularly in rural Sabah, ensuring more students gain essential financial education.
While Dana remains undecided about her future career, she hopes to continue drawing comics as a hobby. “This competition helped me recognise scams better, so I will not fall victim to them,” she said.