From landmarks and wildlife to local traditions, students across the country turned their love for Malaysia into colourful collages
What does Malaysia look like through a child’s eyes?
For more than 11,000 students, the answer came in the form of colourful collages featuring everything from iconic landmarks and native wildlife to traditional culture and the places they call home.
A total of 11,208 students from 534 schools across 141 districts took part in this year’s KOKO KRAF CLUB, a nationwide collage competition by Nestlé Koko Krunch in partnership with the Ministry of Education Malaysia.
Inspired by Visit Malaysia 2026, the competition challenged students to look at their surroundings a little differently, exploring three themes: ‘Beauty of My District’, ‘Beauty of My State’ and ‘Beauty of Malaysia’.
After making their way through district and state-level rounds, 15 finalist teams met at the Grand Finale at NU Sentral, Kuala Lumpur, where they brought their own interpretations of Malaysia to life through colour, texture and plenty of imagination.
And the national champions? Aniqkh Hasiff, Afifa Auliaa and Nisaa Izz from Sekolah Kebangsaan Balai Badang.
Their winning collage brought together Malaysian landmarks, native wildlife, the Rafflesia and traditional elements, creating a colourful snapshot of the country’s natural and cultural diversity.
The trio took home RM1,500 and certificates, while their school received RM2,000.
But beyond the prizes, KOKO KRAF CLUB was really about giving children the chance to tell their own stories.
“Every collage tells a different story, whether it is about a local landmark, a cultural tradition or the people who make a community special,” said Philip Joe, Business Executive Officer, Nestlé Cereal Partners Worldwide Malaysia and Singapore.
He added that seeing more than 11,000 students participate this year showed how much young Malaysians could create when given the space to express themselves.
For some students, the experience also meant stepping far outside their usual surroundings.
At Sekolah Kebangsaan Tangkungon in Telupid, Sabah, two teams from the school’s 15 entries made it to the national finals in Kuala Lumpur.
Nelly Jimmy from the school said the achievement became a proud moment for the entire school community, with teachers, parents and students coming together to support the finalists on their journey.
The experience even inspired the school to establish a special collage group ahead of next year’s competition.
And perhaps that is what makes the project interesting beyond the artwork itself.
Instead of seeing Malaysia as one big picture, the students were encouraged to look at it through their own communities the places they know, the traditions they grew up with and the people around them.
The result? Thousands of different versions of Malaysia, all created by the next generation.