Winners 4th Edition
2023

Water, both for humans and for all other living things on the planet, is a resource without which life would not be possible. We cannot express in words what the planet would look like it there was no water, and this drawing shows in small lines the beauty existing on Earth. Because of water, and also how a "drop" of water can save many lives, although people remain expressionless in front of the gifts that water continues to give to the earth. The drop of water around our planet present in the drawing represents the protection and care that water offers us, surrounding the earth as a kind of protective layer, which does not let the earth perish with the passage of time. Fir trees suggest the true beauty of nature, which is vividly colored in shades of green, a special beauty that could not be present if water did not help nature. The tap presents a source of water that feeds all the gifts of nature and not just human needs, being a "spring" interprted in the form of power source present in the homes of all people, highlighting the fact that life on Earth exists because of water, because water is the source of life, and a a drop of water can make the difference between life and death.

"Știma" is a fairy from the Romanian tradition. They live only in clean waters. It has the role of guarding the rivers. If the waters are polluted, the "știmele" (the fairies) die. It needs clear, clean and unpolluted waters. They need time to regain the power to guard the waters. Keep the rivers clean! "Știmele" (the faries) defend the rivers from all that is evil.

Fresh water is a renewable and variable but finite natural resource. Without 'Fresh Water', life on Earth would be impossible. All kinds of living beings depend on freshwater for their survival. In this painting of mine, I have represented how freshwater is consumed by different species of living beings on a daily basis. In the upper middle portion of the page, I painted a waterfall which is one of the main sources of freshwater. The water from the waterfall is collected by a pair of hands which represents that freshwater should be stored and used. In the lower middle portion of the page, I painted a sprinkler which is showering freshwater on a green field for the purpose of irrigation. Irrigation is the most important part of agriculture. Without fresh water, plants and crops cannot survive. On the right side of the page, I painted a kid drinking water from a tap with a scenery of the sunset behind. This shows that at the end of the day, freshwater is the only path of existence for human beings. Besides human beings and plants, freshwater is also essential for survival of many living creatures like fish, ducks and swans. This I showed on the left side of the page by painting swans swimming on a freshwater lake. The ultimate reason behind the beauty of Mother Earth is freshwater. Without freshwater, Earth won't look different from other life-less planets.

Human destruction and unreasonable exploitation have lead to deforestation. They are the cause of soil erosion and frequent floods and inundation. Drying-up of rivers and lakes, ground subsidence caused by excessive groundwater exploitation, and frequent extreme weather related to global warming have huge impacts on human life. In this animated video clip, I use traditional Chinese calligraphy techniques to symbolize different water crises we are facing, to arouse people's awareness toward the true value of water resources and ask people to cherish the moment.

Our project titled "Another Water Story" was created with the hopes of raising awareness about water. We developed everything like a story because children love stories, and they tend to pay attention to what they love. Children have the opportunity to learn important elements related to water – water resources, water's role in the past, and how to protect water against degradation and depletion. Our humanity's intervention to water's health.

We took clear plastic bags on roll and drew or wrote on them with marker what water means to us or what we want it to be. Into the bag we inserted a figurine of a plant, animal, or garbage, poured water from the tap and tied them if possible. Above the sink we photographed all the 24 art objects one after the other. We have collectively created a captured water drawing of fear, worry, and desire on fresh water, each hour of our 24 hours of time with the drawing-bag.

A little basin, with some rain water and some leaves, acts like a mirror for a young and curious human girl. The water reflects her, and she looks in there for past, present, and above all future.

There is a very close relationship between humans and nature, but people are slowly starting to break this connection through the pollution they create. This little dress is made as a symbol for the connection between humans and nature to remain alive. The dress is made from a trash bag found on the banks of the Gurghiu River and also some leaves found along the river bank. As an accessory, it has a bracelet made from glass bottle caps, also found on the river bank. The photo was taken on the right bank of the Gurghiu River, in Mures county. In this area, even though the water may appear clean, it is actually polluted by the plastic bottles and waste from nearby animal farms. However, compared to other places, the Gurghiu River remains relatively clean because the town halls of Ibanesti and Hodac fine people who pollute and hold them responsible for protecting the water. Through this photograph, I hope to draw people's attention to the fact that the connection between them and nature is very important. My message to the public is to pollute as little as possible in order to have cleaner water and try to recycle, just as I have done!