European Partnership with Municipalities Programme – PROGRES, opened the art competition for high school students from 25 municipalities in South and South-West Serbia, with the theme “Serbia – Embrace of Civilisations”. The competition supporting young artistic talents is organised with the aim to promote cultural, ethnic, traditional and religious differences as Serbian and European values.
Twelve works that selected as best on the competition will decorate the PROGRESS calendar pages for 2012, and their authors will be rewarded with video and still cameras. Three best rated schools will receive school equipment at the value of 200,000 dinars. The competition will close on 10 November 2011, and the winners will be announced and the calendar promoted at the awarding ceremony in mid-December.
This year’s theme for the competition represents the message behind this year’s UN Week in Serbia, which will be organised in October. When determining the theme, the starting point was the fact that Serbia, during its history had often faced internal and external migrations and influences from different cultures. Numerous diversities make Serbia representative of the whole world. As a place of contact between different civilisations and one of the most important crossroads in Europe, Serbia has become the place of embrace, where it accepted other civilisations and they accepted Serbia.
Knowing that art has the power to present differences in a positive way, PROGRES wishes to give the opportunity to the participants of this art competition to present the exquisite cultural, ethnic and religious variety as the wealth of the citizens of Serbia and Europe.
Organising the competition is part of the PROGRES efforts to promote positive social values in 25 municipalities in South and South-West Serbia. The programme also assists partner municipalities to improve infrastructure, the quality of the services they provide to citizens and businesses, and modernise their work in accordance with the principles of good governance.