Tradition-Based Competition Targets Regeneration of Young Artists in Buleleng

RRI.CO.ID, Singaraja - The Buleleng Regency Culture and Tourism Agency has organized a competition based on Balinese traditions and community culture, featuring two categories: wayang (traditional shadow puppete) and prasi (traditional Balinese manuscripts engraved on palm leaves) making.

The event, held at Wantilan Sasana Budaya and in the grounds of the Gedong Kirtya Museum on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, was attended by young people representing Buleleng’s nine subdistricts.

Head of the Buleleng Regency Culture and Tourism Agency, I Nyoman Wisandika, said this year’s event had been organized on a simpler scale than the previous edition. While the competition featured four or five categories last year, the organizers had narrowed the focus this year to wayang and prasi making to help sustain the traditions and encourage interest among younger generations.

“It is simpler this year. Last year, we may have had four or five competitions. This year, there are two: wayang making and prasi,” said Wisandika on Thursday, September 17, 2026.

For the wayang-making competition, participants portrayed the character Sahadewa. Wisandika said the character represented the final part of a series of wayang stories previously featured in stages through competitions depicting Yudhistira, Bima, Arjuna and Nakula.

“Yudhistira, Bima, Arjuna and Nakula were featured previously, and now it is Sahadewa’s turn. So this is the final episode in the wayang-making series,” he said.

Meanwhile, the prasi category featured the theme of Sutasoma (ancient Javanese poetic verse). Participants in both the wayang and prasi competitions were given five hours to complete their work. The competition targeted people aged 15 to 25 and involved participants from various backgrounds, including secondary school students.

Wisandika acknowledged that regenerating artists who make wayang and prasi remained challenging because relatively few young people were interested in the two traditional art forms. The competition was therefore one of the efforts to introduce Bali’s cultural heritage to young people and foster their interest in preserving it.

“Prasi in particular is quite difficult because it consists of illustrated stories that are engraved on palm leaves,” he said.

The Buleleng Culture and Tourism Agency hopes the event can be followed by training and mentoring programs in each subdistrict. In this way, participants would not only gain experience through the competition but also have opportunities to develop their skills and contribute to the regeneration of traditional artists in Buleleng.

“That is our hope, because we know that very few young people are interested in making wayang and prasi,” said Wisandika.

In the wayang-making competition, Buleleng Subdistrict took first place, followed by Gerokgak Subdistrict in second and Seririt Subdistrict in third. The prasi competition was won by Kubutambahan Subdistrict, with Buleleng Subdistrict taking second place and Banjar Subdistrict third. (Annaila Azzahra-EN)