Serbia wins International Danube Art master

International Danube Art Master 2010

 The winning submission was created by two Serbian school girls, Martina Stanojevic and Martina Mihajlovic. Their artistic sculpture, entitled “Recycle – Save the Danube” is creatively made from waste materials, including local natural materials, and represents an appeal to get active for our rivers.

“This competition is a key element of the annual Danube Day celebration and transcends national borders, emphasizing the complexity of the Danube and its connections to land, animals, forests and people,” said Philip Weller, Executive Secretary of the ICPDR.

Children were encouraged to visit local rivers and surrounding areas and to consider what the environment means to them. They were then asked to reflect their thoughts and inspirations through environmental art using materials from in and around the river.

The competition was jointly organized by the ICPDR, the national administrations and the Danube Environmental Forum (DEF), the largest network of environmental NGOs in the Danube Basin. In Serbia the competition was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.

“We believe that this competition encourages children to learn more about the Danube and help protect it,” said ICPDR Executive Secretary Philip Weller. “It is also an artistic reminder for adults and the representatives of Danube national governments of their joint responsibility to ensure that the Danube is protected for future generations.”

The award ceremony in Vienna was attended by the national Danube Art Master winners (and their accompanying persons). After the ceremony, the winners joined a three-day environmental programme, supported by Coca-Cola and organized by the Global Water Partnership Hungary, which includes trips around Vienna, the Schönbrunn Palace and Zoo and the Sea World Museum.