The National Museum of Nature and Science's Botanical Art Competition: Onion and hydrangea win MEXT Prizes

The National Museum of Nature and Science (President Kenichi Shinoda) held the 42nd Botanical Art Competition and selected 66 winning works, including those that were awarded the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Prize (MEXT Prize), from 785 entries submitted nationwide. The winning works will be exhibited at Tsukuba Botanical Garden (February 7-23), the Ueno Main Building (June 30-July 20), and the Institute for Nature Study (August 15-September 6).

The Elementary School Division received 231 entries, with 33 works selected as winners. The overall evaluation noted that both lower-grade and upper-grade children used gentle sensitivity to find what they liked and what they found mysterious about familiar plants, depicting them honestly.

"Onion (Red Onion)" by Shion Iida (6th grade, Kobe Municipal OBU Elementary School) was selected for the MEXT Prize. The judges' comments highly praised the work, stating: "The artist honestly depicted the fresh beauty felt at the moment of encountering the onion. This is a work that could only be created by an elementary school student, making the best use of onion as a material. Using familiar objects found in the kitchen as the subject, everyday scenes such as peeling and cutting are wonderfully rendered in excellent colors." The President of the National Museum of Nature and Science Prize went to "Somei Yoshino" by Honoha Fukuda (5th grade, Shibuya Municipal Rinsen Elementary School). The Director of Tsukuba Botanical Garden Prize was awarded to "Bitter Melon" by Mio Hoshi (3rd grade, Shotoku Gakuen Elementary School).

The Junior High School and High School Division received 554 entries, with 33 works selected as winners. The general evaluation stated: "Overall, we had an impression of many honest and serious works. Additionally, plants growing outdoors decreased as subjects, while works depicting vegetables and rare foreign plants increased. There were many works from which one could sense the message of touching plants and depicting living things."

The MEXT Prize was awarded to "Kashiwaba Hydrangea" by Kotone Takayama (2nd year, Keio Girls Senior High School). The judges commented: "It is wonderful that such voluminous material can be drawn in such detail, and the heavy appearance of drooping branches when flowers become fruit is also well expressed. The characteristics of the leaves are also well depicted, and this is a work that conveys empathy for this plant very well."

The President of the National Museum of Nature and Science Prize went to "Onion" by Momoka Shoji (2nd year, Hokkaido Akan High School). The Director of Tsukuba Botanical Garden Prize was awarded to "Stem Broccoli" by Harumi Katagiri (1st year, Kawagoe Girls' High School).

For the Special Encouragement Award (School Commendation), with which the President commends schools that submitted entries as a school unit and had many works selected as winners, Shotoku Gakuen Elementary School (Tokyo Prefecture) was chosen.