Art & Culture Without Borders Foundation awards prizes for global children's painting competition

The Art & Culture Without Borders Foundation (ACWB) has unveiled the winners of its global photography and painting competition for children and adolescents during the coronavirus pandemic.

ACWB organised the competition to allow children to express their emotions through creative activities such as drawing and painting, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

"Creating artwork is a non-threatening activity that allows children to address difficult problems in a creative way," the foundation explains on its website. "Art is a symbolic language," it adds. 

Artists Kico Camacho, Paulina Parra, Francesca Marti and Blanca Cuesta made up the jury that selected the winning entries, while sustainable clothing brand ECOALF sponsored the competition.

On the other hand, all the works will be exhibited and sold to raise funds for families affected by the pandemic around the world through NGOs with which ACWB collaborates.  

The winner was a child from Qatar, where 120 entries were registered. The Qatari ambassador to Spain, Abdalla Al-Hamar, collected the diploma certifying the victory. Other children from Jordan, Pakistan, Morocco, Spain, Peru, Syria, Colombia and Israel also received awards.

The Jordanian ambassador to Spain, Areej Hawamdeh; the Pakistani ambassador, Shujjat Rathore; the Moroccan vice-consul in Barcelona, Loubna Rai; and Princess Beatrice of Orleans collected the diplomas from other prize-winning children. Beatriz de Orleans, honorary president of ACWB, represented a Spanish winner. 

The association presented the awards at a charity dinner dedicated to art and its ability to unite people from all over the world. As Soumaya Akbib, president of ACWB, pointed out, "art and culture unite us, we have the right to share a cultural heritage". An idea that is embodied in the foundation's symbol, a heart of peace uniting the five continents.

In addition to art, football also played an important role at the gala, because, according to Akbib, "sport is also part of culture". For this reason, models of the stadiums for the next World Cup to be held in Qatar were exhibited.

Guests at the charity dinner were able to see the design of the impressive stadiums where the best national teams will play in November and December, such as the Khalifa International Stadium, the country's sporting symbol; the Lusail Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies of the World Cup will take place; the Al Thumama Stadium, whose design is inspired by the Arab 'gahfiya' headdress; or the Al Janoub Stadium, designed by the famous Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. 

There was also a place for fashion. During the dinner, a fashion show of dresses designed by the Qatari Sheikha Al-Hamadi took place. 

Diplomats, marquises and royalty attended the event organised by Art & Culture Without Borders, including the ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Azzam Abdulkarim; the ambassador of the League of Arab States, Bachar Yaghi; the counsellor of the Embassy of Morocco, Sanaa Laalaoui; the diplomatic attaché of the Embassy of Qatar, Ahmed Al Shebani; the Ambassador of El Salvador, Mauricio Peñate Guzmán; the Ambassador of Honduras, María Dolores Agüero Lara; the Ambassador of Guatemala, Mónica Bolaños; the Ambassador of Armenia, Sos Avetisyan; the Defence Attaché of the Embassy of Mexico, Fernando Farias; the Economic Counsellor of the Embassy of Belgium, Tom Vermeulen; and the Dean of the Consular Corps, Anamaría Almasán. 

The charity dinner was also attended by the Duke of Seville, Francisco de Paula de Borbón y Escasany; the Prince of Libya, Idris Al-Senussi; the Princess of Libya, Ana María; the Marquis of Bellante, Alfredo Leonard y Lamuño de Cuetos; and the Marchioness of Bellante, María Queipo de Llano y de León.