OREANDA-NEWS. June 7, 2008. Orange Sun, a competition of children’s drawings, ran in six regions of Russia from May 5 to May 24, 2008. Bank Electronika initiated the competition as a contribution to the Year of the Family and timed it to coincide with International Children’s Day. Youngsters from Belgorod, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Ryazan, and Voronezh – in all about 1,500 – participated. The awards ceremony for winners of the Orange Sun children’s drawing competition took place on May 29, 2008.

In May personal services offices of Bank Electronika in Belgorod, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Ryazan, and Voronezh become galleries for the artistic works that children had submitted. The Orange Sun competition illuminated the horizon of creative self-expression for children ages four through twelve and gave talented young people an opportunity to display their skills. Thirty-six winners and twelve holders of grand prizes (prizes for the most original drawing) drawn from nearly 1,500 submissions are to become renowned in the regions. Results of the competition and names of the winners have been published on Internet site www.bank2u.ru (latter in Russian only). Copies of the best works will soon hang in the halls of the personal services office of Bank Electronika in the six regions where the competition transpired.

Participants distinguishing themselves came from both cities and oblasts. Children from day-care centers, community schools and clubs, and children’s homes took part in the competition. Even the very youngest, those still not having reached four years, didn’t pass up the chance to be part of Orange Sun. (For their eagerness, these little ones received special prizes.). The youngest participant was just over two years old. In the words of competition organizers, the event helped each contestant display his or her creative potential and gave grown-ups a chance to see the world through the eyes of a child and to understand how the next generation envisions its hometown and the future of our country.

At the awards ceremony, winners were presented commemorative certificates and prizes, and all participants received souvenirs. 

All types of painting and graphics prepared in A3 or A4 format were eligible for inclusion in the competition. Themes of the work – my city, tomorrow’s homeland, my family, and others – were chosen carefully. Bank Electronika takes part in the future of the country and supports Russia’s young generation. 

A hotline worked throughout the competition, supplying those who called with more details about participation in the event. 

Marina Upatova, Member of the Management Board of Bank Electronika and Director of the Directorate for Retail Business, noted: “We expected quite some interest in the competition of children’s drawings, but we certainly didn’t anticipate the size of the response. This shows, once again, that our initiatives and the socially oriented strategy for the Bank’s development have gained support from the young generation – that is the sure path to the hearts of our clients. In the future, we plan to conduct similar events regularly.”