First prize in the art contest titled “Get to Know Europe” for 2015 European PROGRES calendar went to Sofija Jelic, a student of “Pivo Karamatijevic” Grammar School from Nova Varos. “Artworks featured in the calendar teach us about Europe and its richness of various cultures,” said European PROGRES Manager Graeme Tyndall.

Second prize went to Nikola Krstic, a student of Technical School in Vladicin Han, and Aleksandra Milenkovic, a student of School for Textile and Design School in Leskovac, won the third prize.

At the ceremony held in Blace, Tyndall and the Blace Mayor Ivan Burgic handed a laptop, tablets and digital cameras to authors of 12 best artworks submitted in the contest.

Grdelica High School from Leskovac was declared best and presented with a laptop and a projector in order to improve its teaching quality.

“The new European PROGRES programme, launched in 2014, continues the tradition of art contests for high school students, started by previous development programmes PRO, MIR and EU PROGRES, also funded by European Union and Swiss Government.

“This year, students were asked to explore lesser known facts about Europe and present them visually. What we have seen in these artworks is really striking. Artworks featured in the calendar teach us about Europe and its richness of various cultures,” Tyndall said.

 

 

“The awarded artworks are characterised primarily by diversity, both artistic and geographic. We have seen festivals, important persons and artefacts, significant dates, historical facts, equally contributing to the quality of artworks through colours and lines and different techniques and styles. It covered whole of Europe, as a mythical and geographical concept, from the North, with an artwork about gods from Scandinavian mythology, to the West with Portugal’s and its Agitagueda Art Festival, and South East Europe with the very first tavern in Belgrade,” said painter and President of the Jury Ena Popovic from Blace.

Art contest “Get to Know Europe”, seeking artworks to be featured in 2015 European PROGRES calendar, lasted over the course of October 2014 and was organised for grammar and secondary school students from 34 municipalities in South East and South West Serbia.

Goal of the contest was to encourage high school students to develop their talents, explore and learn lesser known and interesting facts about Europe, as well as to show their creativity to wider public through artistic presentation of their findings.

Another nine artworks, whose authors were awarded digital cameras, will also be featured in 2015 European PROGRES calendar – Danilo Petrovic from Vladicin Han, Diellzi Presheva from Presevo, Marija Mladenovic and Marija Ilic from Leskovac, Davor Filipovic and Jovana Djordjevic from Surdulica, Aleksandra Dugalic from Raska, Bojan Milovanovic from Ivanjica and Milos Bursac from Vranje.

Some 110 artworks from 28 high schools in South East and South West Serbia were submitted in the contest, whereas expert Jury decided 12 best artworks now featured in 2015 European PROGRES calendar.

European PROGRES programme includes the following 34 local self-governments: Novi Pazar, Ivanjica, Nova Varos, Priboj, Prijepolje, Raska, Sjenica and Tutin in South West Serbia, as well as Prokuplje, Blace, Zitoradja, Kursumlija, Leskovac, Bojnik, Vlasotince, Lebane, Medvedja, Crna Trava, Vranje, Bosilegrad, Bujanovac, Vladicin Han, Presevo, Surdulica, Trgoviste, Brus, Aleksinac, Gadzin Han, Doljevac, Merosina, Svrljig, Babusnica, Bela Palanka and Knjazevac in South East of the country.