TEHRAN – Five Iranian children have won prizes at the 2022 Kao International Environment Painting Contest for Children in Japan.

Ahura Bakhtiari, Zahra Mozaffari, Zeinab Baqeri, Tarannom Sheikhsharifi and Bahar Rezaian are all members of Iran’s Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults – Kanoon.

The contest is organized by Kao Corporation, a chemical and cosmetics company headquartered in Tokyo.

Nine-year-old Ahura was among the eight winners of the Kao Prize.

“It is quite interesting that the earth in the center is drawn beyond the common senses; the work is excellent in so far as expressing that the earth has feelings and emotions just like us,” the jury said in their statement. 

“The use of colors and techniques are also elaborate, and the texture and coloring leave us with a strong passion regarding the work; this work illustrates the message of striving to work on global environmental issues positively,” the jury added.

Ten-year-old Zeinab’s painting “Pets” was honored with the Jury Sumiko Okubo special prize.

The jury said, “The vivid orange color is impressive and has an impact. The large spider drawn in the foreground is appealing, and the perspective is expressed well. The painting evokes an atmosphere by a pure expression based on the painter's keen observation of elements in everyday life.”

“I Feed My Birds” by 6-year-old Tarannom won the Jury Kei Matsushita special prize.

“This work utilizes each individual color without mixing or blurring them. It expresses a message for the future, encouraging us to respect the individuality of each living thing while working to create the same world together,” the jury asserted.

Bahar, an 11-year-old girl, won an Eco Friend Prize for her drawing “I Love Nature and I Love Trees”.

“It is generally difficult to depict nighttime scenes, however, this work expresses well the smell of trees and marshmallows roasting in the bonfire, and the cold night air under the moon; expression in the work is excellent, such as depicting of the darkness and people's face lightened by the bonfire,” the jury said in its comment.

Eight-year-old Zahra was also awarded an Eco Friend Prize.

“There are still many issues in the world that cannot be solved immediately; even so, the painter expresses an earnest wish that every living thing holds each other’s hand and builds a peaceful world; it is remarkable for them to be expressed so purely as the painter's honest wish through the eyes of a child,” the jury said.

Woraphitcha Phuangprakhon from Thailand won the Planet Earth Grand Prix at the contest.

Photo: A drawing by the 9-year-old Iranian boy Ahura Bakhtiari won a Kao Prize at the 2022 Kao International Environment Painting Contest for Children in Tokyo, Japan.

MMS/YAW