- 742 participants from 37 regional governments in five countries-
- Largest ever participation by member governments-
The NEAR Secretariat announced that by the submission deadline of the 13th NEAR Youth Art Contest on Friday, September 19, a total of 742 youths from 37 member governments in five countries—China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Russia—participated. This marks the largest number of participating member governments since the contest was first held.
This year’s theme was “Drawing symbols or characters of a Northeast Asian country you would like to visit, other than your own.” The submissions included:
218 works from seven regional governments in China
111 works from seven regional governments in Japan
272 works from 11 regional governments in Korea
19 works from five regional governments in Mongolia
122 works from seven regional governments in Russia
The Secretariat plans to conduct the first round of evaluations in October, followed by the second round by experts from the Pohang branch of the Korea Fine Arts Association. Winners will be selected, including 156 individuals and three outstanding participating governments, and certificates, prizes, and commemorative gifts will be prepared and sent out in December.
After the two-stage evaluation, the final list of awardees will be announced on the NEAR website (www.neargov.org/kr/).
The NEAR Youth Art Contest has been held annually since 2013 from April to October, as a way for youths from five Northeast Asian countries—Korea, China, Japan, Mongolia, and Russia—to enhance their understanding of regional cultures and neighboring countries through art.