International Children's Painting Competition on the Environment

Children’s pictures challenge environmental degradation

The painting competition invites children from around the world between the ages of 6 and 14 to illustrate their own personal view of the environment – their wishes, fears and hopes. It is organized every year by UNEP, Bayer, the Japanese Foundation for Global Peace and Environment and Nikon.

The global winner of the International Children's Painting Competition

UNEP boss Achim Steiner (right) and Dirk Frenzel, Bayer Communications, presented the prize certificate to International Childrens’ Painting Competition on the Environment 2011 winner Trisha Co Reyes (13) from the Philippines at the environmental youth summit in Bandung, Indonesia.

The paintings show just how aware children are of the dangers that environmental degradation presents for the Earth and humanity. Due to its paramount importance, climate change was the focus of attention of the painting competition in 2007, 2008 and 2009. In 2010 the paintings dealt with the global challenges of protecting biodiversity.

The global and regional winners from the six world regions Europ, Africa, North America, Latin America & the Caribbean, West Asia and Asia Pacific are chosen by an independent jury and are invited to the official celebrations of the World Environment Day or international environmental conferences and presented with the awards at a formal ceremony. Afterwards, an exhibition of the best paintings is organized in several countries.

In 2011, on the occasion of the "International Year of Forests" by the United Nations, the theme of the competition was "Life in the Forests". The winners of the global painting competition were awarded their prizes at the TUNZA International Children & Youth Conference on the Environment that took place in September 2011 in Bandung / Indonesia. The theme of the current competition is „Green Communities“. For this year, the submission period for entries has closed.