Koji Kinutani
Chairman of the Judging Committee
Painter・Professor, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music

As a representative of the judges

I particularly enjoyed judging.
I felt as if I were being judged rather than the other way round.

Have you ever wondered why we have never tired of drawing despite having done so since the beginning of recorded history?
I think the answer lies in the pleasures we derive within our imagination.
Childrenﾕs drawings are so full of color and fun.
They remind me that the earth is inherently an enjoyable place.

The flowers are all in bloom. The saturation of color shows that the earth has not turned into a desert. At a depth of about 15 meters, the sea starts to lose its color.
Color disappears in space.
Colors disappear in the deserts.
As I look at these colorful pictures drawn by our children, I hear the message that the earth is not bad.
The earth is a unique planet in space.
No matter how sophisticated the telescope, we have yet to find any other planet like our own.
Children's drawings remind me of the wealth of hopes and dreams here on earth.

I can sense our children's yearning that earth should never become as sterile as the moon.
That feeling is very powerful.
Leaving these problems to our future generations is not an option.
I think children today are acutely aware how precious life is and our earth is a symbol of happiness.

People say that we go to heaven after we die, but in some sense, the earth itself may be heaven.