International artists honored for spotlighting environmental issues

Six top winners were announced at Sunday's awards ceremony for the International Cartoon and Illustration Exhibition on a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind 2024, held in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

One gold, two silver and three bronze prize winners were chosen based on artwork focusing on global environmental issues and the protection of the planet, as well as the use of artistic skills to create unique and compelling messages.

The gold-winning work — titled Plastic Invasion — was created by Canadian cartoonist Diego Herrera. "It's a great honor to receive this award. I am happy to share my vision and art with people around the world," he said.

"Our planet deserves to be treated with care and respect. It gives us water, food, air, beauty and wisdom. Art, humor, poetry and solidarity are powerful tools to make changes, and each action counts."

The silver-award winning work The Virtuoso, created by Engin Selcuk from Turkiye, shows unique vision. "In my cartoon, I wanted to draw attention to how man destroys nature with his own hands because of greed," Selcuk said. "I have received awards in many countries around the world in my 35 years of art life. It's a great honor for me to receive an award in such a big competition in China."

With the theme of "One Earth", the exhibition was jointly organized by China Daily and the Publicity Department of the Ordos Committee of the Communist Party of China, calling for global cooperation to tackle environmental issues such as climate change, pollution and biodiversity protection, and to contribute to the United Nations' 2030 sustainable development goals.

According to organizers, who launched the call for submissions in May, the exhibition received around 3,700 cartoon and illustration works from nearly 60 countries and regions, with more than 1,400 submissions from overseas.

Through initial evaluation, re-evaluation, review and final assessment, the exhibition included 135 award-winning cartoon and illustration works, including the winners of gold, silver and bronze prizes, the Eco-Friendly Ordos Prize, the Prize of Excellence for AI-Assisted Works, and shortlisted awards.

Wu Yingga, a Chinese painter who received the Prize of Excellence for her work Legacy of Love, said: "I saw artists from all over the world use their brushes to depict their understanding and expectations of a community with a shared future for mankind. The paintings that showcase the coexistence of humanity and nature on the same planet left me deeply moved. Winning an award in this exhibition is both an encouragement and a motivation for me."

Nine works were awarded the Eco-Friendly Ordos Prize, which is a specific award to recognize the remarkable achievements of Ordos in combating desertification, promoting ecological conservation, and advocating a green and energy-efficient lifestyle.

"As a national model for green cities and an ecologically competitive city in China, and a national demonstration area for eco-civilization construction, we are committed to integrating the beauty of nature and the harmony of life into our urban development. Our goal is to promote sustainable development and a harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and to share this concept with the world," said Zhang Wei, head of the publicity department of Ordos.

"This prize recognizes the power of art to raise awareness of environmental protection and desertification control, and to safeguard our shared home. This fully affirms the eco-civilization construction achievements of Ordos and is a new milestone in Ordos' international cultural exchanges and cooperation. The award also provides an important channel and platform to showcase the warm and welcoming city of Ordos."

The award-winning artworks, with most of the selected exceptional pieces, are being exhibited at the Ordos Art Museum, which will last until the end of October.

Bill Gaspard, design director of China Daily and one of the judges, gives a speech at the awards ceremony for the International Cartoon and Illustration Exhibition on a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind 2024, held in Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Sunday. Local school pupils visit the cartoon exhibition in Ordos Art Museum. CHINA DAILY