The 13th Yamaha Children's Waterside Painting Contest Announcement of the Winners

The Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation held the final judging of the 13th Annual Yamaha Children's Waterside Painting Contest on Tuesday, November 27, at the Tokyo International Forum.

This year marked the thirteenth year of the contest, which began in 1989, with the contest name being changed from the “Yamaha Children’s Seascape Painting Contest” this year. The number of entries has grown steadily over the past 12 years from the 1,558 submitted works in the first year of the contest, to the 7,433 submitted to this, the 13th holding. The total entries for these 13 contests number 71,568! With the listing on the Yamaha Motor Internet home page since 1997, children overseas have also learned about the contest. Furthermore, this year the cooperation of the US-based World Children’s Fund brought some 200 entries from the five countries of Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Holland, Colombia and Turkey.
All the works by the children displayed such powerful representations of the sea and beaches that all the adults involved in the contest could not help but reconsider the importance of the ocean and our interaction with it.

A panel of eight judges chaired by Mr. Kazuo Kudo, chairman of the artist group Sogenkai and a member of Nitten, evaluated the works. They were joined by four special judges including Sydney Olympic swimming Silver medallist, Yasuko Tajima.

All submissions underwent a preliminary screening on Nov. 19 and 20, at which time two-hundred works each from the upper elementary, lower elementary, and nursery school categories were selected for a total of 600 works. The first stage of the final judging brought that number down to 60 in each category. In the second stage the number was reduced to 24 per category and from these winners were chosen for one Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize, one Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Prize, one Minister of Environment Prize, one Director General of the Fisheries Agency Prize, as well as two Gold Prizes, three Silver Prizes, three Bronze Prizes, and five Honorable Mentions (four for the upper elementary) in each category.
Persons from each agency also took part in selection of the government agency prizes.

In addition, six individuals who represent supportive and cooperative associations of the contest and who also served on the judging panel each chose a work for a Special Prize. Ms. Reiko Kato chose one of the overseas submissions for (elementary school age) a National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan Prize, Ms. Teruyo Kayo selected a winner (nursery school age) from the foreign submissions for the World Children’s Fund Prize (at the request of the judges a Japanese Child’s work was also chosen). Mr. Hideki Hata chose an entrant from the upper elementary category for the Japan Fisharina Chairman's Prize and Mr. Tsuyoshi Tsuchitana chose a winner for the Japan Marina Beach Federation Prize. Mr. Yoshiro Hattori selected a work from the lower elementary category for the Japan Game Fishing Association Chairman's Prize, and the Yamaha Motor Company Prize went to a contestant from the nursery school category chosen by Mr. Hiromi Usui.

The award-winning works will be displayed in the Yamaha Motor’s booth at the Tokyo International Boat Show to be held February, next year and at various Yamaha exhibition sites around the country. The paintings will also be introduced on Yamaha Motor’s website ( http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/) to communicate the meaning of this contest to a larger audience.

Chairman of the judges committee. Chairman of the artist group Sogenkai and a member of the Nitten exhibition.
“This contest is now in its 13th year, and I am always impressed by how innovative and heartwarming many of the children’s paintings are. And, when I am judging I look for works that are truly childlike in spirit and rich in imagination. One of the trends this year was the increased number of foreign entries, all of which show such imagination and the differences in their cultural background reflected in things like the colors and compositions they choose. I found many things in them that our Japanese children could learn from. As we work to inspire thoughtfulness in our children through education, I believe that exposing them to nature will be extremely important here in Japan from now on. In this sense, I think this contest with its focus on waterside environments offers a good chance to instill in them the importance of nature. For this reason, I hope this contest will continue to grow.”

Chairman of the Japan Fisharina Association
“I gave priority to the paintings that I thought showed children’s points of view and perspectives that do not occur to adults. These kinds of works can only come from having visited the sea or waterside areas often, which also gives the children the opportunity to discover new points of view and painting subjects that stimulate new ideas. My hope is that many children will visit the environmentally rich waterside world and have experiences there that heighten their appreciation of the environment. That is another reason why I have great hopes for this contest.”

Administrative Director of Japan Marina and Beach Federation
“This was my first time judging this contest. I tried to judge the works by looking through the eyes of a child, or trying to remember the things I myself saw as a child. When I was a child I remember the images of swimming at the beach and yachts sailing were strongest. But here in these paintings I see many treating themes of fishing and fishes, and the way they gave me new insights into the children’s interests left a strong impression on.”

Director, National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan
“The painting we chose as winner of the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan Prize was painted in great detail with a rich sense of material. I felt that in this lay hidden a personal story of the child who painted it. With all the works in general, I was impressed with the way they depicted aspects of the waterside that adults tend to overlook, and they brought back to me many important things I had forgotten.”

Honorary Member of the Kaiyo Recreation Association / Japan Sport Fishing Federation
“I was impressed by how much movement there was in many of the children’s paintings this year. Another thing I noticed was the many paintings that focused on one specific point in great depth. Each year we see an increasing number of overseas entries, and it also seems to me that the sense of color in the works of the Japanese children grows richer each year.”

Japanese Representative of the World Children’s Fund
“Because the World Children’s Fund is dedicated to activities on behalf of suffering children the world over, I wanted to choose paintings that showed bright, optimistic expressions and colors.”

Guest Judge - Actress / Sydney Olympic Silver Medallist swimmer
“This was my first experience judging a painting contest like this, and I focused on choosing paintings that caught my eye because of their refreshing points of view and paintings that just naturally brought a smile to my face. I was particularly impressed by how bright the colors were in many of the paintings submitted and how well they communicated things close to the child. I hope many more children will submit paintings like this in the next contest as well.”

Guest Judge - 2nd place finisher in the group synchronized swimming in the FINA World Swimming Championships - Fukuoka 21
“In the nursery school division I was delightfully impressed by how many paintings were pure and direct expressions of things the children felt. It was also clear that entering the lower elementary schooler division technique began to appear in the paintings, and this trend strengthened in the upper elementary division works. When synchronized swimmers like me compete, we try to add technique to our performances without losing the original sense of expressive feeling. It was very revealing to me to see this similarity.”

Guest Judge - First Secretary, Pakistan Embassy, Tokyo
“We were hoping to have paintings by Pakistani children in this year’s contest, but I am very sorry to say that in the emergency situation following September 11, we were unable to get them shipped from Pakistan. I hope these activities will continue so that next year we can make every effort to be a part of the contest.”

Guest Judge - Second Secretary, Turkish Embassy, Tokyo
“I am very glad that we were able to have so many entries from Turkey this year. I would also like to express my hope that cultural activities like this will continue to bring greater understanding of the importance of peace and security to children around the world. As a member of the Turkish consulate I will continue to give this contest my fullest support.”

Manager, Tokyo Office, Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
“I tried to choose paintings that I thought had strong impact. We are involved in the development of boats and other marine products from an adult perspective, and having served as a judge in this contest, I felt the need to value other perspectives as well when we develop things, like the spirit of play and the perspectives of adults, children and families. Also, while this contest is only for children through elementary school age, I got the desire to see the works of older age groups as well.”

Chairman, The Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation
“Every year I find myself really looking forward to this contest. Coming into contact with these children’s paintings gives me a feeling that I am receiving the spirit, thoughts and the energy of children, and it always leaves me feeling refreshed when the judging is over. I want to see our organization continue to run and promote this contest so that it will bring this kind of joy to even more people. I hope that we will also continue to receive your warm support in our efforts.”

Entrant Data

Previous contest year

*Organizer, Supporters
The Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation
The Japan Marine Sports Promotion Foundation was founded with the approval of the Ministry of Education on July 17, 1992, for the purpose of encouraging promotional activities for marine sports in Japan. The aim of the foundation is to promote increased harmony with nature and richer human interactions by utilizing marine sports as a vehicle for its educational activities and regional sports programs.

The Japan Marina - Beach Association
This is a nationwide association of marinas from around Japan. It is involved in activities including setting standards for quality marinas, holding seminars for marina managers, conducting surveys and research about marina management and operation, and conducting educational and promotional activities related to marine sports. The association was founded in 1974.

The Japan Fisharina Association
The association was established on August 4, 1993, after receiving approval from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Aimed at promoting the dual use of fishing harbors and fishing grounds for commerce as well as marine leisure activities, it has established an all-around facility, "Fisharina," where research surveys on usage, operation, and promotional activities are conducted.

Japan Game Fishing Association
This is a fishing association founded in 1979 for the purpose of promoting sport fishing based on internationally accepted rules. In addition to sponsoring events like the international billfish tournament held at Shimoda (Kanagawa Pref.) it is involved in activities like certifying game fish records, conducting tag-and-release activities and organizing various types of seminars and courses.

National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan
This organization was founded in 1974 as a coordinating organization for the various UNESCO associations in Japan with the aim or encouraging UNESCO-oriented activities by the citizens of Japan. With main activities including the “World Teragoya Movement” and “The World Heritage” movement, the federation is dedicated to educating youth, and promoting international exchange and international aid activities.

World Children’s Fund
Established as a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the support of children in need throughout the world, the World Children’s Fund operates out of headquarters in California, USA. This organization is a strong supporter of not only the children of poverty but those subjected to hardship as a result of natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions.