5 June 2023

To mark the occasion of World Environment Day and the pursuit of a more sustainable world, the European Patent Office (EPO) is pleased to announce the winners of the Kids' collaborative art competition.

A highlight of the EPO's exciting programme to celebrate 50 years since the signing of the European Patent Convention, the competition was open to any primary school located in any EPO member state, extension state or validation state. We would like to thank all 56 schools, in 19 countries, that entered the competition. Each participating child will receive a thank you gift as a token of our appreciation.

Visions of a more sustainable world

The competition aimed to nurture creativity, collaboration and problem solving among young children, skills that every inventor requires and that are crucial to building a more sustainable world. In total, more than 3 600 children participated by creating artworks that express their dreams and ideas about how innovation can help improve life on Earth for generations to come.

From the 110 submissions received, 50 artworks were preselected with the support of the Munich-based artist Bernard Boissel. EPO staff were then invited to cast their votes for their favourite pieces.

At the end of the voting phase, two schools had received the same number of votes. As a result, we are pleased to announce that the competition has four, rather than three, winners:

Each of the four schools is to receive 3 000 EUR funding for their proposed educational initiative to raise children's awareness of sustainability in connection with art, innovation and technology. The initiatives include community clean-up efforts; an upcycling programme; a school garden; education on recycling and waste management; and the installation of a small wind turbine and solar panel. The EPO is pleased to support these creative, collaborative and hands-on efforts to engage young minds on the topic of sustainable action.

Further information: