National Children's Drawings Competition
“Dnipro as Seen by Children”
(Statistical Analysis)

Project “Dnipro as Seen by Children” has been implemented by National Environmental Non-Governmental Organisation “MAMA-86” supported by a grant of the International Development Research Center, Ottawa, and financial contribution of the United Nations Development Programme GEF.

A children's drawings competition, that took place from May 15 till September 1, 2002, was announced under the Project “Dnipro as Seen by Children”.

Generally, 356 children participate at the competition and submitted 602 drawings, performed in different art techniques, on approval of a voting committee. Girls proved to be more active — 76%, about quarter of the participants was boys (23%). Moreover, two collective works were submitted for the competition.

Children aged 6 to 16 were invited to participate at the competition. Though, coordinators didn't define strong age limits, therefore fifty years old and 18 years old girls are among the participants of the competition. Children aged 9 to 12 (43%) were the most active among the children that indicated their age, however senior pupils weren't less active (37%).

Overwhelming majority of the participants live in an urban area (79%), other — in a countryside. Although subject-matter of the competition related to the Dnipro's problems, geographical representatives of young artists aren't limited by the Dnipro's basin. Mostly half of the participants represent others corners of the state (47%). In general, children from 22 oblasts of Ukraine, Crimea (2%) and the Kyiv city have participated at the competition. Every fifth work was submitted by the young kyiver (21%), and every tenth drawing was submitted from Zaporizhya oblast (11%). Children from Kharkiv and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts, particularly, young residents of Yaremche, have demonstrated quite a high activity — 7 and 6% accordingly. Evidently, this phenomenon can be explained by fruitful work of MAMA-86 regional branches in the Kharkiv city and Yaremche.

Young artists were suggested to develop creatively 12 topics. The best drawings from each topic illustrated lately a loose-leaf calendar. The topics “Marvelous word of nature” (15%), “Water — the source of life on the Earth” (12%), and “Recreation on the Dnipro” (9%) were the most interesting and closely relating to the children's imagination. Retrospective and perspective topic “Dnipro: Past, Present and Future” (7%) also interested children. The socially important topics as “Chornobyl — our pain”, “Human activities impact on Dnipro” — in 6% from the total number of works, and “Dnipro — the main waterway of Ukraine” (5%) didn't leave children indifferent. “Water circulation in the nature” and “From where does Dnipro get started?” (each in 6%) weren't less fruitful topics by the number of drawings. Two percent from total number of works fell to the topics “Save water!”, “Dnipro — the river of friendship and unity of people”, and “Water and Health”.

Every third participant has submitted for the competition more than one drawing. There are thee participants among the record-breakers by the number of submitted drawings, more than ten drawings were received from them. All of them were prize-winners of the competition.