BALINEWSID.COM, JEMBER — Two art academics from Bali have been entrusted with key roles in the judging process of the 2026 National Student Arts Week (Peksiminas), held at the University of Jember in East Java from September 7 to 11, 2026.

I Wayan Nuriarta serves as the Coordinator of the Strip Comic Jury, while Ida Ayu Dwita Krisna Ari is a jury member for the Poster Design competition. Both are involved in assessing works submitted by university students from across Indonesia.

Their involvement places Bali’s expertise in visual arts and design at the center of a national process determining the quality of student artworks.

As coordinator of the Strip Comic jury, Nuriarta leads the assessment of works based not only on drawing skills but also on the participants’ ability to develop stories through the combination of images and words.

The judging covers narrative flow, relationships between panels, characterization, dialogue, facial expressions and visual rhythm. Judges also consider the relevance of the work to the competition theme, communication with audiences, technical mastery, visual uniqueness and originality of storytelling.

“Judging is not only about whether a work is visually appealing, but also about how the idea is developed, how the message is communicated, and the extent to which participants demonstrate character and originality,” Nuriarta said.

Nuriarta is a lecturer in the Visual Communication Design Study Program at the Faculty of Fine Arts and an alumnus of the doctoral program in Cultural Studies at the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Udayana University.

He specializes in visual culture studies and has been active in research, academic publications, creative works and visual communication judging at both national and international levels.

His experience in comics, cartoons and visual narratives has also been reflected in several books. Among them is Semiotika Kartun Opini, published by Deepublish in 2026. His previous works include Kartun, Cergam, Komik; Konsep dan Aplikasinya, Menjelajah Visual dan Cerita dalam Komik Naruto, and Narasi Visual: Ceritanya Masa Lalu dan Karyanya Hari Ini.

Meanwhile, Dwita is responsible for assessing entries in the Poster Design competition. Her assessment focuses on how effectively students transform ideas into clear and compelling visual messages.

The criteria include relevance to the theme, originality and creativity, message strength and visual quality. Elements such as imagery, typography, color, composition, technical skills and overall impression are also taken into consideration.

“A good poster is not merely visually attractive. It must enable the audience to understand the message being conveyed. Concept, typography, color, composition and visual quality must work together as a unified whole,” Dwita said.

Dwita is a lecturer in the Visual Communication Design Study Program at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, with a concentration in Popular Culture Studies. She teaches several subjects, including Visual Communication Design, Typography, Sociology of Design and Aesthetics.

Her academic activities focus largely on popular culture, visual communication and design. She has also published accredited scientific articles examining subjects including mural design, truck-bed paintings and social media illustrations.

In 2025, Dwita published Teks Bahasa Bali Dalam T-Shirt Perspektif Kajian Seni through Madza Media. She is also active in mentoring students in national-level programs, including the Student Creativity Program (PKM), and serves as a national PKM reviewer and national mentor for the Kampus Mengajar program.

Peksiminas 2026 is being organized based on the 2026 National Working Meeting of the Indonesian Student Arts Development Board (BPSMI). The East Java BPSMI Provincial Board was appointed as host, with the University of Jember serving as the main venue for the entire series of activities.

The involvement of Nuriarta and Dwita demonstrates that the role of academics in Peksiminas extends beyond the university classroom. They also contribute to determining how student works are interpreted, evaluated and appreciated based on ideas, creativity, technical skills, aesthetics and communication ability.

From Bali, Nuriarta brings expertise in visual culture, cartoons, comics and sequential art, while Dwita contributes perspectives from popular culture studies and visual communication to the assessment of poster designs.

Their participation represents Bali’s contribution to Peksiminas 2026—not only through students competing in the event, but also through academics entrusted with helping maintain the quality, credibility and objectivity of the national judging process.