The Pınar International Children's Painting Contest has been organized since 1981 to contribute to the artistic development of primary school children. Organized with a different theme every year, the 41st edition of the contest invited children to paint the world of their dreams with the theme of "The World Through My Eyes" this year.
Students from seven regions of Turkey as well as Germany, Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) participated in the contest as well as students receiving special education. A total of 9,105 applications have been received for the 41st edition.
The works participating in the competition were subjected to a preselection by a team under the leadership of professor Mümtaz Sağlam. Some 457 works that passed the preselection were evaluated by a jury, headed by Sağlam and included professor Hayri Esmer, associate professor Devabil Kara, Ihsan Yılmaz from Hürriyet daily, Seray Şahinler Demir from Milliyet daily, Emrah Kolukısa from Cumhuriyet daily and art consultant Nazlı Pektaş. I was also one of the jury members and enjoyed my very first experience as a jury member by being mesmerized by the artistic skills of the talented young artists.
The jury meeting for the children's paintings was held in 39 Kalamış Marina Hotel & Restaurant in Istanbul. As a newbie, I was so excited to start evaluations, and the process went great for me under the guidance of the jury head Sağlam and the other members, each of whom was a competent figure in their field. During the evaluation phase, I witnessed one more time that children's quirky art isn’t just cute, on the contrary, it has deeply creative intentions. We examined nearly 460 children's paintings, each beautiful in its own way.
In every painting, I recognized that all of the children tried to create something that will make sense to the viewer. Although some tend to see children's drawings that don’t exactly reflect reality as inferior or wrong, that is a mistake. Children – especially at the early stages of painting – do not think about realism. They perfectly perceive many scenes from the world and reflect them in their paintings, achieving a kind of visual balance in their own way. This visual balance is so creative and fresh that I believe adults should try to regain the ability to represent the world around them with the vitality of a child and the innocence of their eyes.
As a result of our evaluation, we, as the jury, selected a total of 12 first-prize and 17 runner-up winners. Painting bags consisting of professional painting tools and tablets will be presented to the 12 first-prize winners, while 17 runner-up winners will receive painting kits, as well. In the category that allowed children receiving special education to paint their dreams, one winner will also be given a tablet and one contestant will be presented with a professional painting kit.
Congratulating all the children participating in the contest, Pınar Chairperson Idil Yiğitbaşı also said in a statement: "As Pınar, we know that the art of painting is one of the most important factors in the development of children's imaginations. With this awareness, we wanted to learn how our children see the world or what kind of world they would like to see, within the framework of the "World Through My Eyes" theme this year. We understand that our children want to live in a more loving, environmentally friendly and peaceful world. In this direction, as Pınar, we will continue to take steps and work to leave behind a world our children deserve by achieving the goals we have set."
A ceremony, where the awards and certificates of the winning works of the contest will be presented, will be held on June 16 at Eskişehir Atatürk Culture, Art and Congress Center. After the award ceremony, the award-winning paintings will be presented to the art lovers of Eskişehir until June 30.