Space of safety, creativity and inspiration

This is how the XIV All-Ukrainian Children's Drawing Competition "Occupational Safety Through the Eyes of Children" - 2025 and the exhibition of children's artwork, which took place in the Kyiv Palace of Children and Youth, can be briefly described.

For two weeks, more than 200 pieces created by young artists, winners of the regional stages of the competition were on display. The exhibition opened on April 17 - on this day, an respected jury (including representatives of the International Labor Organization, central executive bodies, employers' organizations and trade unions, organizations active in the field of occupational safety, enterprise occupational safety engineers, instructors of training centers) selected the top 9 winners of the final round of the competition.

I age group (6–10 years):

• I place – Zlata Serdyuk, Sumy;
• II place – Dmytro Martynov, Bilozerske, Donetsk region;
• III place – David Kosenko, Konotop, Sumy region.

II age group (11–14 years):

• I place – Dariia Khmil, Zavallia village, Holovaniv district, Kirovohrad region;
• II place – Maria Pryymachuk, Soshychne village, Kamin-Kashyr district, Volyn region;
• III place – Marfa Maslova, Sinyukhin Brid village, Pervomay district, Mykolaiv region.

ІІІ age group (15–17 years inclusive):

• І place – Veronika Hryniv, Ivano-Frankivsk
• ІІ place – Ditrikh Gotfrid, Kyiv
• ІІІ place – Dmytro Pryimak, Kamin-Kashyrskyi, Volyn region

The organizers of the competition - the journal “Occupational Safety and Health”, the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine, the sponsors of the competition, the jury of the regional and final rounds, a large number of dedicated people and organizations who joined this project – have done a tremendous work. In total, the competition received more than 7,000 drawings, which is more than last year. Despite martial law, this year’s competition features drawings from all regions of Ukraine, including from temporarily occupied territories by the enemy, as well as from several European countries.

Due to the war, some participants were able to send their works to the editorial office only in digital format. The largest number of such drawings came from Donetsk and Luhansk regions. In total, the editorial office received 63 drawings in electronic format. For them, the journal, as the main organizer, created a separate nomination - "Unbreakable". The jury, consisting of journalists, experts in the field of public relations, and employees of the magazine's editorial office, selected one winner in each age group:

• I age group – Varvara Koliushko;
• II age group – Bohdan Nazarchuk;
• III age group – Anna Yurchenko.

For the second year in a row, the competition also included children who were forced to leave Ukraine due to the invasion and now live in European countries. This year, there were 29 such participants, and their works were evaluated in a separate nomination. The winners were:

• Age group I – Vesta Kutniy (Poland);
• Age group II – Nadiya Davidna (Germany);
• Age group III – Maria Lykhatska (Germany).

The constant leaders in terms of the number of participants in the competition are Kharkiv (569 drawings) and Lviv (553) regions. The top five most active regions also included Kyiv (483), Dnipropetrovsk (450), and Sumy (386) regions. More than 7,000 drawings represent not just a number - it means thousands of people have been involved into the orbit of safety. In reality, considering that teachers, parents, relatives, and friends were involved in helping children create their artworks, and that regional organizers worked closely with them, the number of people engaged in the topic of occupational safety and health is many times greater. That is why the competition continues to maintain its popularity. Of course, recurring themes like the sun with safety signs, the dog Patron, and other familiar imagery are still present. But every year, children surprise everyone with new creative ideas, unusual execution, fresh metaphors, and unconventional thinking.

“Choosing the best,” shared the jury member Tamara Bilko (NUBiP of Ukraine), “is an extremely difficult task. Every child deserves recognition, every drawing deserves attention. The works are striking in their variety of approaches – from warm, sincere plots to deeply symbolic and even dramatic images. They are creative, bright, with great love for the cause and a sincere desire to convey important messages. These drawings are not just children's fantasies on the competition theme. Many of them reveal a deep understanding of the value of life, caution, responsibility, as well as pain and anxiety familiar to every child growing up in times of war.”

It was not easy for the jury members to choose only nine winners from such a large number of excellent works. Therefore, the sponsors decided to additionally award six more finalists, for whom they launched the “Jury’s Sympathy” nomination. The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine selected the drawings of Viktoriya Nikolyshyn (Lviv region), Sofia Savoshchak (Ternopil region) and Olga Yakubets (Zakarpattia region) for the award, LLC “Technical University “Metinvest Polytechnics” – drawings of Maria Mats (Lviv region) and Daryna Parakhonyak (Ivano-Frankivsk region), and the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine selected the work of Valeria Syzonenko (Kyiv region).

This year, Aida Lindmeier, Director of the ILO Office in Ukraine, joined the jury at the final stage of the competition. The talent, skill, emotionality, childlike spontaneity, and depth of ideas in the drawings of the young artists left an unforgettable impression on her. She emphasized the importance of the competition in shaping a culture of occupational safety in society.

It’s worth noting that the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Ukraine has been supporting the All-Ukrainian Children’s Drawing Competition “Occupational Safety Through the Eyes of Children” for 14 years. The ILO understands the competition’s powerful influence on fostering a safety-oriented mindset from an early age. That’s why the winners and their parents were invited to take part in the World Telethon dedicated to the ILO’s 100th anniversary. As a result of this Telethon, the entire world learned about Ukraine’s unique competition.

The importance of this project for the public, emphasized Dmytro Matviychuk, editor-in-chief of the journal "Occupational Safety and Health", its cultural, social, and public significance is difficult to overestimate. After all, through creativity, children become aware of the value of life and health, and this awareness gradually transforms into a responsible attitude toward safety both in daily life and in their future professions. It will take a little time, they will enter the economy, politics, culture, state building and will directly influence the formation and development of the OSH system in the country. In many ways, this  competition is an investment in the security of the future of Ukraine.

…The summing up of the competition results and the ceremonial awarding of the winners, including those whose works won the sympathy of the organizers and sponsors, took place on April 24 during the online event “BLITZFORUM: “ UNITED FOR SAFETY”. Medals, valuable gifts, and prizes were presented to the authors of the best works. However, there is no need to be upset for those who did not make it to the circle of winners. All participants received a certificate of participation, recognizing their creativity and effort.  In addition, the next competition is ahead, and every young artist has a chance to win the creative competition.

P.S. The editorial team of the magazine expresses sincere gratitude to everyone who responded to the organizers’ invitation to take part in evaluating the children’s drawings at the most crucial final stage of the competition. Special thanks to: Vasyl Andreev, Yurii Andriievskyi, Diana Kazakova, Anna Haran, Tamara Bilko, Oksana Medvedska, Iryna Petchenko, Anna Remenets, Alla Nehrienko, Svitlana Sokurenko, Oleksandr Parkhomenko, Oksana Horbenko, Maryna Badekha, Oksana Horstka, Dmytro Hryn, Serhii Chebotariov, and Nataliia Volodchenkova.

The sponsors of the competition are: Avtomagistral-Pivden Company, SE “Central Laboratory for the Analysis of the Quality of Medicines and Medical Products”, LLC “Farmak”, Charity Organization “Turbota Kharkiv”, Kernel Company, LLC “Expert Petroleum Ukraine”, “Insight.UA”, Trade Union of Builders of Ukraine, Oleksandr Parkhomenko, PI “Center for Vocational Education and Training” (Kryvyi Rih), Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, Confederation of Employers of Ukraine, LLC “Promtekdiagnostics”, Public Union “Reforms for Business: Participation and Cooperation”, LLC “Nova Poshta”, TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY METINVEST POLYTECHNIC LLC, SEC “Karavan OUTLET”.

Special thanks to the administration of the Kyiv Palace of Children and Youth director Oksana Dobrovolskaya and her deputy Olena Klymenko, who are warmly hosting the final of the competition on their territory for the second time.

Photo by the author.