OREANDA-NEWS. December 23, 2011. The panel judging the nationwide online art contest Sunny Island has chosen the best entries and the winners can look forward to a holidaying in Cyprus and receiving Apple ipads

The finalists’ entries were carefully examined and assessed online by Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Boris Grachevsky, Tatiana Vedeneeva and Dmitri Dibrov. Meantime Uniastrum Bank President Gagik Zakaryan and Banki.ru CVO Yelena Ishcheeva met to discuss and select the winning artworks. The panel of judges based its decisions on three principal criteria, namely originality in terms of depiction and expression, richness of imagery, and overall creativity.

First prize in the 6-8 year age group went to Slava, aged 7, from Bratskas, whose vivid entry entitled Flamencos on Paradise Island was awarded 222 points by the judges. In the 9-12 year age group the winner was 12-year old Olesya Redina, who submitted a highly unusual work called Other-World Island, which garnered a maximum 273 points. Both winners will now receive travel vouchers from the contest organizers Uniastrum Bank and news agency Banki.ru for an all-expenses-paid holiday on the sunny island of Cyprus.

Second prize, an Apple ipad, was won by 8-year old Katarina from Syzraniz for her sun-filled and joyful picture Island of Dreams and by 12-year old Roman from Cheboksary for a piece with the adventure-story title Treasure on Cyprus. The other prizes were shared between the finalists based on the number of votes received from visitors to the contest website during the semifinal. Canon cameras went to third place Anna, aged 7, from Saratov for a submission entitled Paradise Isle and Alexander, aged 10, from Moscow, for a stunning artwork called simply Cyprus. Professional Faber Castell art kits were awarded to fourth placers, both from Saratov, Alexander Pupin, aged 8, for his entry Cyprus, and 10-year old Anna for Evening on Cyprus. In fifth place were Anna Milodan, aged 7, from Smolensk, who submitted an enchanting landscape called Cyprus Dawn, and 12-year old Nastasia from Dyatkovo, whose picture was entitled Bay. Both receive Wacom graphic tablets.

The nationwide online children’s art contest Sunny Island was organized and run by Uniastrum Bank in conjunction with web portal Bank.ru kicked off in late September. Over a period of two months one and a half thousand youngsters from all over Russia aged between 6 and 12 took part in the competition. Overall, 1,657 pictures were displayed on the contest website, drawing a total of just under 90,000 votes. While all the pictures shared the same “sunny island” theme, the entrants employed an exceedingly wide range of techniques and materials.

“We congratulate the winners of the Sunny Island competition and wish them the very best in their future artistic endeavors,” says Margarita Gerasimova, Uniastrum’s Vice President for Marketing. “We are delighted that the contest drew such an enthusiastic response and now plan to make it annual event.”