Instilling in Children the Importanceof the Ocean Accepting Entries for the 11th Yamaha Children's Seascape Painting Contest

June 01, 1999

By Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation

The Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation is holding its 11th Yamaha Nationwide Children's Seascape Painting Contest and will be accepting entries from elementary school and nursery age children throughout the country from July 1 (Thursday) to October 20 (Wednesday) of this year.

By having children paint scenes of the oceans and beaches, this annual contest gives children a valuable opportunity to increase their understanding and awareness of the sea and cultivates in them the spirit of protecting the glo
bal environment.

The foundation seeks to develop sound marine leisure activities in Japan, and aggressively undertakes activities to promote non-powered marine sports such as sailing, canoeing, and rowing to further their acceptance. Worldwide environmental problems such as global warming and acid rain have become increasingly serious, we believe that it is very important to pass along to future generations the natural beauty of the oceans and the lakes for people who
also want to enjoy marine sports.
In support of these ideals, the Yamaha Motor group is giving financial support and cooperative support to the foundation's Seascape Painting Contest.

The number and quality of last year's record 9,125 submissions made it an enriching contest. Starting from the year before last, contest information has been listed on the Yamaha Motor Internet home page. Children overseas have l
earned of the contest and last year two submissions were received from Mexico. The passing of the tenth milestone year and continued backing from the Ministry of Education and the Environment Agency, thanks to their understanding of the point of the contest, spur our efforts to further promote it.

The winning entries will be displayed at the Yamaha Motor booth at the 2000 Tokyo International Boat Show, at other Yamaha event sites throughout the country as well as in Yamaha promotional tools and on the Yamaha Motor Interne
t home page. In addition, we are actively promoting the display of the works at other public venues.

Contest Summary

Name:	11th Yamaha Children's Seascape Painting Contest
Aims:	1. To promote wider understanding of the sea primarily among the children who will lead society in the 21st century. 2. To instill and develop a consciousness of environmental protection through encounters with nature and playing in the natural environment. 3. Offer the contest as a chance to increase communication with children in the home and in school.
Contents:	A contest is to be held for paintings by children up to the 6th grade of elementary school with themes such as "the beautiful ocean," "the working ocean," or "ocean fun."
Entry period:	July 1, 1999, (Thu.) to October 20, 1999, (Wed.).
Organizer:	Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation
Support:	Ministry of Education, Environment Agency (pending), National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan, Japan Fisherina Association, Kaiyo Recreation Association, Japan Game Fishing Association
Cooperation:	Yamaha marine dealerships, Yamaha pool dealerships
Special support:	Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd., Yamaha Motor Marketing Japan Co., Ltd.
Judging:	(Formal judging will be conducted by a panel of judges chaired by Kazuo Kudo, member of Nitten.
Announcement of winners:	Winners will be contacted individually. Winners selected from group submissions will be contacted by their groups. Plans also call for the names of the winners to be published in a release by the Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation, in the Yamaha Motor marine newsletter Tairyo News (for fishery industry), the marine dealers newsletter Marine News, and the boat user newsletter Captain's World.
Awards:	Individual awards will be presented through the branches of Yamaha Motor Marketing Japan Co., Ltd.
Display of painntings:	Plans call for the paintings to be displayed at the Yamaha Motor booth at the 2000 Tokyo International Boat Show, at other Yamaha event sites throughout the country, in Yamaha promotional tools as well as plans to display them on the Internet home page.

Conditions of Entry

Theme:	The beautiful ocean (environmental conservation), the working ocean (fishery wharfs, etc.), ocean fun (marine sports, pools)
Qualifications for entry:	Children up to and including the 6th grade
Entry period:	July 1, 1999, (Thu.) to October 20, 1999, (Wed.)
How to apply:	All entries must have written on the back of the painting the title of the painting, the address, telephone number and name of the child, sex, the child's age, grade, school name and parent or guardian's name and must be sent by mail or special delivery to the address below. Submissions made by groups must include the group name and address in addition to the name of the person in charge of the group.
Entry address:	Yamaha Children's Seascape Painting Contest Desk, 810, Shinogasecho, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka Pref.,Japan Postal Code 435-0042
Entry specifications:	Paintings must be done on standard "yotsugiri" size art paper (54.0 x 38.0cm) or other paper of the same size.

Judging, etc.

Judging categories:	Winners will be selected in the three categories of up per elementary (4-6th grade), lower elementary (1-3rd grade) and nursery school age.
Awards:	Awards in each category will include two Gold Prizes, three Silver Prizes, three Bronze Prizes and ten Honorable Mention awards. And as the grand prize, the Minister of Education Prize will be presented to a winner from the combined categories (pending). In addition, one Director General of the Environment Agency's Prize (pending), one Japan Fisherina Association Chairman's Prize, one Japan Game Fishing Association Chairman's Prize, one Yamaha Motor Company Prize will be awarded as special prizes. Plaques and prizes will be presented to each winner. All contributors who submit entries will receive an original commemorative sketchbook printed with a copy of the Gold Prize paintings.
Others:	* Reproduction rights for all paintings submitted will belong to Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation and the submitted works will not be returned. * Plans call for the paintings to be displayed at the Yamaha Motor booth at the Tokyo International Boat Show, at other Yamaha event sites throughout the country, in Yamaha promotional tools as well as plans to display them on the Internet home page. * The organizers will not be responsible for accidents or damage to paintings during mailing. * The organizers ask that entrants refrain from making inquiries about submissions after they have been made. * Entry prizes will be sent out after the judging is complete.

Reference 1

* Submissions for the past ten years

1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	Total

1,558	2,378	2,545	3,559	3,247	4,198	5,145	7,460	8,098	9,125	47,313

(Gold prizewinning paintings from 1998)

*Upper elementary (4-6th grade)

Yumi Terauchi Tokushima Pref.,6th grade	Yohei Kimura Kochi Pref.,5th grade
a
*Lower elementary (1-3rd grade)

Hiroyoshi Morimitsu Kochi Pref.3rd grade	Yuka Kamakura Tokushima Pref.,
a
*Nursery school age group

Momoko Aono Ehime Pref., Age 5	Makoto Oka Wakayama Pref.,Age 6

Reference 2

Outline of activities of the Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation

The Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation was founded with the approval of the Japanese Ministry of Education in July of 1992 for the purpose of encouraging promotional activities for marine sports in Japan with the support and cooperation of all related organizations. The aim of the foundation is to promote marine sports through educational activities and regional sports programs as a vehicle for encouraging increased harmony with nature and richer human interaction. At the same time the foundation aims to contribute to the kind of environment where people can experience the enjoyment of marine sports and make them spread as lifetime sports that will enrich the health and lives of the citizenry. In particular, the foundation supplies support tailored to local needs in both software and hardware form to help establish sailing as a local sport and a venue for sound education of young people.

Guide to activities

1. Sound education of children through marine sports.
2. Training and supplying of marine sports instructors.
3. Helping the growth of marine sports clubs for adults.
4. Holding of marine sports seminars and competitions.
5. Recognizing people who contribute to the spread and development of marine sports.
6. Supply of equipment for education and production, printing of educational materials.
7. Surveys and research in the marine sports field and international exchange.
8. Supplying sailboats, etc. to schools and youth educational facilities.