[Competition Coverage] 2027 Paris Theme: "Environmental Protection": 8 Creative Directions

The theme of the 2027 GASCA Paris International Art Competition is "Environmental Protection." Many children, upon hearing these words, immediately draw an Earth with two hands, resulting in eight out of ten similar works. The broader the theme, the more specific a starting point is needed. The following eight directions correspond to the competition's painting, calligraphy, and photography categories, which parents and teachers can use to discuss with their children.

I. Painting Group: Concretization of Four Official Recommendations

The competition proposed four directions: marine conservation, wildlife conservation, green cities, and protecting our planet. To visualize these, consider this:

1. Marine conservation – “Breakfast for sea turtles”.Instead of depicting a panoramic view of pollution, paint only a sea turtle with a plastic bag floating in front of it. When there's only one main subject, the message is often stronger. Composition suggestion: place the main subject in the lower left third, leaving a large area of ​​blue space above.
2. Wildlife conservation – “Homeless.”Draw an animal in its entirety, but gradually fade the background forest to blank or iron gray from left to right. This contrast of "half complete, half disappearing" is perfect for children in the upper grades of elementary school and above.
3. Green City – “Fifty Years From My Window”.Let children first draw the actual view outside their window, then add vertical greenery, solar panels, and a rooftop farm. Starting with familiar scenery will result in much more honest artwork.
4. Protecting the Earth – “One Day’s Trash”.Arrange the packaging materials generated in your home each day into a still life painting. This approach is both an artistic creation and a genuine observation of environmental protection.

The painting group has no restrictions on tools or colors—wood paint, crayons, pastels, watercolors, poster paints, and plastic paints are all acceptable. Don't be deterred by the lack of professional materials.

II. Calligraphy Group: Choosing the right characters is more important than writing them beautifully.

The calligraphy group accepts both Chinese and English calligraphy, with a focus on nature poetry and environmental quotes. Two practical directions are available:

5. Nature poetry.For Chinese, you can choose descriptive sentences; for English, you can choose short, rhythmic lines of poetry. When choosing words, have the child read them aloud first, and only write them if they can explain their meaning—it's difficult to write something expressive if the child doesn't understand it.
6. Famous quotes about environmental protection.Choose a short, powerful sentence that complements the font style: steady regular script or flowing running script. It's recommended to keep the number of characters under ten; white space is an integral part of a calligraphy work.

III. Photography Team: No need to travel far

7. "Four weeks in the same place".Choose a tree or a corner of a park near your home, and take a picture from the same angle at the same time every week. A series of photos will showcase natural changes and teach children to observe continuously.
8. "The overlooked details".A tiny patch of microplastic on the beach, a seedling growing from a crack in the rock, the sky reflected in puddles after rain. Microscopic perspectives are often easier to capture in great photos than wide shots, and all you need is a mobile phone.

Three reminders before creating

• You should be able to speak a sentence before you start writing.Ask the child to summarize the message of their artwork in one sentence. If they can't, it usually means their concept isn't yet clear.
• Avoid directly copying images from the internet.The judges can tell, and originality is itself part of the scoring.
• Allow time for this.If you leave a piece of work for a day or two after it's finished and then look at it again, you'll often find areas that can be improved.

summary

The difficulty of the topic of "environmental protection" lies not in the techniques, but in how to narrow down a global issue to a scene that a child has actually seen and experienced. Starting with an animal, a window, or a day's worth of trash is often more moving than a grand picture of the Earth.