Co-sponsoring the International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment
Co-sponsoring the International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment
Nikon thinks that fostering environmental conservation awareness among children who are going to be our future is an important subject in order to preserve the precious earth for future generations.
Nikon has been co-sponsoring the International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment for children around the world with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), and Bayer AG.
About the International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment
Since 1991, the competition has called upon children aged 6 to 14 to "send a message around the world to conserve the earth through posters," and has received about 3 million entries from over 100 countries.
Every year for about six months from around September, the competition asks for children's paintings from across the world, on the theme of conservation of the global environment. After going through regional screenings held in Europe, Africa, North America, Asia/Pacific, West Asia and Latin America/Caribbean, prize winners are determined in the following year's global screening meeting held around April.
The winning paintings are shown in exhibitions and international environment conferences and printed as postcards and calendars around the world to appeal to as many people as possible about the importance of conserving the global environment in future.
All the past paintings are kept as precious materials at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto.
The 20th International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment
Award-Winning Paintings
To mark the United Nations' International Year of Forests in 2011, the theme of the 20th competition is "Life in the Forests (Biodiversity)." About 600,000 entries from 99 countries around the world were submitted and 63 prize winners were chosen. This year, the 2nd prize global and the Asia/Pacific regional prize were won by the same child.
The following are the winning paintings, including the 1st and 2nd prize global winners and the six regional winners (one from each region).
Click images to enlarge.
- United Nations Environment Programme: 20th Painting Competition Winners
- United Nations Environment Programme: Painting Gallery of 20th Painting Competition Winners
Other award-winning paintings.
Award Ceremony
The Award ceremony for the 20th International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment was held on the first day of the Tunza International Children and Youth Conference on the Environment*, which was held from September 27 to October 1 in Bandung, Indonesia. (The conference was organized by UNEP in cooperation with the Government of Indonesia.)
The seven winners were invited to the award ceremony. The winners received a prize plaque, prize money and a Nikon COOLPIX L23 digital camera as an extra prize from UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner. The contest marked its 20th anniversary, and the past Grand Prize winners were also invited to attend the ceremony.
- *The Tunza International Children and Youth Conference on the Environment is an annual conference organized by UNEP. The major aim of the conference for the children and young people attending is to foster dynamic citizens and leaders of the next generation who will forge the future of the Earth. Those between ages 10 and 25 gathered from all over the world to have discussions and workshops about the environment, how to study the environment and experience cross-cultural exchange.
1st prize global winner Trisha Co Reyes, a 13-year-old from Philippines
2nd prize global winner and Asia and the Pacific regional winner Erina Hashimoto, a 14-year-old from Japan
Past Winners
The 21st International Children's Painting Competition
- Theme: Green communities
- Deadline: February 15, 2012
For more information about entry rules and conditions, access the UNEP Tunza Website: