About the competition

Background

The European Union for Local Development Programme - EU PRO Plus as its predecessor Programmes – PRO 1 and 2, EU and European PROGRES and EU PRO organises an annual art competition for high school students in 99 municipalities of southern Serbia. The competition intends to encourage students to learn about, consider and promote different aspects of longstanding relationships between Serbia and European Union and explore their common goals and values.

The competition is also an opportunity to recognise, encourage and award artistic talent of socially engaged high school students, as well as a schools in the Programmes area which most prominently and systematically supports creative growth of its students.

Objectives

1. To encourage the youth inthe 99 cities and municipalities to become or remain socially  conscious, engaged and proactive about their rights and needs;

2. To inspire high school students to take action on the issues that matter to them and actively work on developing and/or contributing to initiatives that positively impact their lives and lives of the their community as a whole;

3. To improve learning conditions in the school with the best result in the competition;

4. To encourage secondary school pupils to pursue their artistic talent;

Who is eligible?

Pupils from all secondary schools, regardless of their grade, in 99 EU PRO Plus municipalities will be eligible  to participate in the competition: https://euproplus.org.rs/gderadimo

Competition Theme

Theme

The European Commission proclaimed 2022 to be the European Year of Youth in order to support the engagement and participation of all young people in actively expressing their own ideas and creating opportunities for a better future with renewed perspectives and opportunities focused on green and digital transitions.

The European Year of Youth acknowledges the generation that has sacrificed the most during the pandemic, especially the youth from vulnerable groups and rural areas. The initiative is intended to encourage them to become active citizens and actors of positive change by expressing and implementing their own actions, vision and insights on how to adjust their surroundings to meet their needs to build their own future.

The drawing competition in 2021/22 invites high school students to creatively respond to the theme “Your idea, your future.” The theme aims to motivate students to think about what project would make their home town a better place for young people to live in, and especially how local young people can individually and as a group contribute to that change. 

We want to encourage youth to think about activities, opportunities or institutions in their home towns that would drastically improve the quality of their life, and convey them through artistic expression. What changes in their surroundings would contribute to their decision not to migrate to larger Cities and abroad.

Artworks should clearly and specifically depict local projects, individual or collective actions, or initiatives be it collective or individual that would contribute to the positive change in the life standard for local youth.

Instructions

Do you think more youngsters need to be active and make a pitch for better tomorrows? What should change in your surrounding so that youth can thrive and see its future in their hometown? Can you do something about it? Would you like us to live in a more inclusive society? How would you start? IIs environment a vital topic for you, what would you change in your neighborhood and how? Can you see a digital future for the job market and how would you go about it? Is it important to create a space where young people can share opinions and ideas to change their surrounding, what would it look like? What do bigger towns in Serbia have that would benefit help you and your friends stay and develop your own home town? What opportunities do you have already  to make meaningful contributions to a positive change locally? Think and draw about projects that you can help achieve, because your future is in your hands!

Competition Rules

Format of Expression

The maximum size of the works submitted for the calendar competition can be A3 (42 x 29.7 cm).  The works could be Illustrations, drawings, paintings or collages.  

On the back must, clearly written or glued print out of the following information each artwork has to have:

• one paragraph (approximately 100 words) explanation of what the artwork represents;

• the full name of the pupil

• year and class student is attending

• the full name of the supervising teacher

• the name and the address of the school

On the back of each submitted artwork the following information: 

UNOPS/EU PRO Plus
Note „Likovni konkurs”
Skrelićeva 4,
11000 Beograd

Work submitted without a textual explanation will not be considered. Explanations must clearly depict the artwork.

General Competition Rules

• Participation in the competition is free of charge;

• All entries not respecting the theme or the technical/authorship requirements will be disqualified;

• Only art pieces which have not yet been published may be submitted;

• Each submitted artwork must include on the back side the following information:

  • the name and the address of the school

  • the full name of the pupil

  • the full name of the supervising teacher

  • A short textual explanation of the artwork

• Inappropriately named works or those sending this kind of messages can be disqualified;

• It is very important to pay particular attention to avoiding stereotypes, mocking, offensive  or inappropriately presenting vulnerable groups, their position in society, ways of life,  cultures etc. Artworks with such content will be automatically disqualified; 

• Authors and schools must guarantee that all elements of the submitted art pieces do not  represent copies of other original works;  

• All images used on the art works, must be in compliance with the existing Law on Copyright  and Related Rights of the Republic of Serbia; 

• Previous holders of the first, the second and the third place are not eligible to be awarded one of those three rewards again. They are, however, still eligible to participate and  occupy any of the remaining nine places;

• By participating in this competition, the authors and schools agree that EU PRO Plus and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia (DEU) may also use the artworks for the purpose of their promotion, publicity, news, during educational workshops as well as information campaigns and campaigns related to the topic of the competition, without the prior permission of the author;

• Authors of the best works will be credited on EU PRO Plus 2022 calendar;

• EU PRO Plus will not cover any costs for the production and submission of art works.

• Students that have held the first, the second or the third place in any previous year are not eligible  to be re-awarded one of those three rewards. They are, however, still eligible to participate and  place in any of the remaining nine places.

Responsibilities of the Participating Schools

• The secondary schools, which decide to participate in the calendar competition, have to  organise an internal contest that will be open to all pupils and select up to five (5) best artworks to submit for the competition; 

• The relevant teachers from participating schools are also highly advised to open a  conversation and engage with the students on the topic set by the competition; 

• Only one work per pupil can be submitted for the EU PRO Plus Calendar Competition;

• The internal contest needs to be documented and submitted in the form of a short narrative describing the school contest and accompanied by photos or video clips and mailed alongside the artworks in order for the school to qualify for the award; 

• In addition to the competition for the best artwork of high school students, schools will also be graded and able to win awards based on the effort they put into organizing internal school competitions;

• The internal school competition must be documented and attached in the form of a short textual description accompanied by photographs and / or videos and sent together with the artworks in order for the school to qualify for the award.

Competition promotion

More about the competition

Selection Process

• Only submitted artworks that meet all the rules of the competition will participate in the first round of the competition, after which the first 20 will be displayed on the official EU PRO Plus website and will participate in online voting;

• Online voting will last for five days and will be open for all citizens of Serbia;

• At the end of the voting, all online votes will be summed up, after which the winner with the highest number of likes will receive one vote of the audience, which will have a value equal to one vote of other members of the jury;

• The EU PRO Plus’ Selection Committee will be composed of four members at least one of which with artistic background;

• The Selection Committee will shortlist 12 best works from all received entries;

• The Selection Committee will, from 12 shortlisted works, announce the third best, the second  best and the best work.

Awards

Prizes for Pupils and Teachers

The following awards will be presented for 12 best works:

• The first prize – laptop computer

• The second and the third prize – tablet computers

• Nine consolation prizes – mobile phones

• Tablets will be awarded to the teachers from the three best schools.

Prize for the Winning School

The Selection Committee will also take into consideration the commitment of the school in the organisation of the  internal school competition.

One secondary school will be given a special prize for the efforts put into the organisation of the  internal competition, the overall number and the quality of works submitted.

The winning school will be awarded with a laptop computer, a projector and accompanying equipment,  which should contribute to the improvement of conditions for the education of pupils.

Prize Awards Ceremony

EU PRO Plus will organise an awards ceremony in accordance with the epidemiological situation in December 2021, the participants will be timely notified of the form. An exhibition of the best submitted works will be organised as part of the ceremony, and the EU PRO Plus calendar for 2021 will be presented.

The European Union for Local Development Programme - EU PRO Plus contributes to a more balanced socio-economic development in Serbia by enhancing territorial development management, supporting economic growth, and improving social infrastructure and social cohesion of 99 local self-governments in two regions: Šumadija and Western Serbia and South and Eastern Serbia. To learn more about the Programme visit www.euproplus.org.rs

Apply

• The deadline for submission of works is 25 November, by 12:00.

• The selected artworks must be delivered by post to the EU PRO Plus Belgrade office:

   

   

  UNOPS/EU PRO Plus
  Naznaka „Likovni konkurs”
  Skrelićeva 4,
  11000 Beograd