Entries Open for the 51st International Children’s Art Exhibition (ICAE)

Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the latest incarnation of the International Children’s Art Exhibition (ICAE) is going ahead. The ICAE is an exhibition dedicated to showcasing children’s art from around the world, and entry for next year’s exhibition has now opened.

The ICAE is open to children between the ages 3 to 15 and it offers entrants the chance to create a picture and send it into the competition. Pictures chosen by judges will be put on display in galleries and art spaces across Japan while the artists will get a certificate.

The way to get your picture on a wall in Japan is to express uniqueness and creativity through an artwork that depicts life in a unique way. That uniqueness can be shown in a variety of ways, such as paintings, drawings and collages, and it can done with pencils, pastels, crayons and paint.

The exhibition was set up by Pentel, the Japanese stationary manufacturer, and it has been going since 1970 when it was first held in Osaka. The intent of organisers since the very beginning has been to explore the imagination of children by encouraging them to express themselves and their perception of the world through art. It is hoped that this is a way of helping children develop and it will show audiences of the exhibition a unique view of what is happening in various places around the world. Last year, the contest drew artwork from 36 countries and over 15,000 entries of exceptionally high standards were received for judging and exhibiting while entries for the domestic competition amounted to 100,000.

The schedule for this year’s exhibition is as follows:

CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: October 30, 2020

JUDGING: January 2021

RESULTS ANNOUNCED: May 2021 – Awards will be sent soon after the results of the contest are announced.

EXHIBITIONS: Tokyo March 2021 Following the Tokyo exhibition selected works will be exhibited in Osaka and other cities in Japan and abroad.

The deadline is October 30 but, due to the situation with Covid-19, it is recommended that entrants send their picture in as early as possible.

UK entries should be sent to the following address:

PENTEL (STATIONERY) LTD.

Hunts Rise, South Marston Park,

Swindon, Wilts SN3 4TW, UK.

Tel. 01793-823333

You can send questions about the exhibition to [email protected].

To find out a little more background to Pentel and ICAE, head to the website.

You can find out more about Pentel’s operations in the UK via their subsidiary site