Children’s Art Competition by Mayors for Peace

We're calling for entries for an art competition on the theme of peace for children (aged 6 to 15). This year’s theme is What Peace Means to Me.

Peace can mean many things – kindness, calmness, understanding, or simply getting along. We’re inviting the young people of Porirua to share what peace means to them through art, as part of this year’s Mayors for Peace international art competition.

To further promote peace in its member cities, an art competition is organised on the theme of peace for children aged 6 to 15. This year’s theme is What Peace Means to Me.

The winning entry for the Mayors for Peace President’s Award will be adopted as the design for Mayors for Peace clear document folders to be used on various occasions, including United Nations conferences, to promote awareness about the importance of peace. Mayors for Peace is a competition across the world and around New Zealand to promote Peace.

There are two age categories: 6–10 years and 11–15 years. A local judging panel will choose the top five artworks from each group and the selected artworks will then be sent to Japan for international judging.

To enter, please read the guidelines and then complete the entry form below and upload an image of the artwork. School entries (5–10 entries per class) and individual entries are accepted.

The entry deadline is 15 September and finalists will be contacted in late October.

To further promote peace in member cities of the international group Mayors for Peace, a peace-themed art competition is organised for children aged 6 to 15.

Theme: What Peace Means to Me.

Entry deadline: 15 September 2025

Participants: Children aged 6–15 (as of 1 November 2025) who commute to or live in Porirua city.

  • Category 1 (ages 6 to 10)
  • Category 2 (ages 11 to 15)

For schools: Please only enter your top 5–10 entries per class. Teachers, please keep hold of submitted artworks until the end of October so we can ensure image quality if they are selected to represent Porirua. If a candidate is successful, we may require additional information. Teachers can use their own contact details for submissions.

Artwork requirements:

  1. Submitted artwork to be scanned or photographed and included in online entry form.
  2. 10MB maximum size and be a JPEG file.
  3. The image will be re-sized to suit a B4 size (257mm x 364mm) or A3 sized (297mm x 420mm).
  4. Must be on white paper .
  5. Only drawings and paintings allowed. Photo collages, digital art, etc will not be accepted. There are no restrictions on the type of materials to be used.
  6. Artwork must be drawn/painted on flat surfaces so that they may be scanned.
  7. Artwork must not have been submitted to other competitions.
  8. Artwork must be produced by an individual (collaborative work by several people will not be accepted).
  9. Artwork must not infringe on the rights of a third party, such as copyrights (including animated characters), trademarks, or portrait rights.
  10. Emblems for the Red Cross Society and other similar emblems are not allowed.
  11. Only one submission per artist will be allowed.

Note: The artwork that wins the Mayors for Peace President’s Award is printed on plastic folders, so about 1 cm may be trimmed from its edges.

Terms of using the artwork

  • The copyright to all artworks submitted to the Mayors for Peace Secretariat is owned by the Secretariat. The Secretariat owns the right to publicise, present, exhibit, print and distribute copies of these artworks without the applicants’ agreement.
  • The submitted artworks may be used for member cities’ projects when the Mayors for Peace Secretariat gives permission.
  • The winners of the Mayors for Peace President’s Award and the Outstanding Performance prize will have their artworks, names, ages, member cities, countries, and messages regarding their works posted on the Mayors for Peace website.

Inquiries: [email protected]

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+64 4 237 5089

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