Four Comics Contest International

About

About the Contest

Discover China's longest-running youth environmental art education initiative

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Overview

The Four Comics Contest International, initiated and continuously hosted by the Dalian Youth Public Welfare Development Promotion Association, is one of China's longest-running, most extensive, and largest youth environmental art education public welfare initiatives.

Using the four-panel comic format and centering on environmental protection, climate change, and green development, the contest encourages youth worldwide to express their thoughts and aspirations for the ecological environment through art, transmitting environmental concepts and deepening the "dual carbon" goals among young people.

Since its founding in 2013, the contest has run 13 consecutive editions, covering nearly 100 cities domestically and internationally, with over 6 million youth participants, becoming a landmark brand in China's youth environmental education.

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Contest Positioning

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#1 Environmental Art Education Brand

China's longest-running, most extensive youth environmental art education contest

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Key Window for International Exchange

Artworks exhibited at UN Climate Change Conferences, showcasing Chinese youth environmental efforts to the world

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Youth Development Practice Platform

Enhancing environmental awareness through artistic creation, nurturing green citizens for the future

Highlights

Contest Highlights

Four core highlights that define this brand contest's unique value

14 Years of Brand Heritage, 6 Million Young Participants

The largest youth environmental art education contest in China

13 consecutive editions with a mature and comprehensive contest system
Covering 30+ provinces, cities, and autonomous regions in China, plus multiple overseas countries and regions
Cumulative youth participants exceeding 6 million
Hundreds of thousands of artworks submitted annually, with growing scale each year

Cutting-Edge Climate Themes, Aligned with Global Agendas

Inspiring youth environmental thinking around contemporary hot topics

Ocean Carbon Sinks & Blue Ecosystems Renewable & Clean Energy Carbon Neutrality & Green Living Biodiversity Conservation Leave No Trace & Sustainable Development

Showcased at COP — Chinese Youth Dialogue with the World

From Dalian to the United Nations, letting the world hear China's youth

As the only UNFCCC observer NGO in Northeast China
Outstanding winning artworks are exhibited annually at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP) through official channels
Bringing Chinese youth's environmental reflections and artistic expression to the global stage

🏆 This marks the first systematic presentation of Chinese youth environmental artworks at the UN Climate Conference, becoming a landmark window for Chinese youth participation in global climate governance.

Small Hands, Big Impact — Nationwide Environmental Education

Using youth as a bridge to engage the whole society in environmental awareness

👦 Kids Create

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👨‍👩‍👧 Parents Engage

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🏫 Schools Promote

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🌐 Society Spreads

Achieving the chain effect of "educate one child, engage one family, influence the whole society," bringing environmental concepts to thousands of households.

Special Project

Cross-Region Multi-Ethnic Youth Exchange Demonstration Project

History

Contest History

From Dalian's launch in 2013 to global coverage, a 14-year journey of growth

2013

1st Edition · The Origin

Theme: Blue Sky Dreams — Addressing Air Pollution

September: First Dalian Youth Environmental Four-Comic Contest launched under the name "Blossom Season · Chinese Dream"
Covering Dalian only: 179 primary schools and 336 kindergartens participated, collecting 66,000 valid entries
Five distinctive comic awards established
DLYCA served as the full organizing body, establishing the operational foundation

2014

2nd Edition · Local Expansion

Theme: I Love My Hometown — Community Beautification & Urban Ecology

Full citywide school rollout in Dalian, youth participants exceeding 100,000

2015

3rd Edition · Ocean Conservation

Theme: Beautiful Water World — River, Ocean Pollution & Water Resource Protection

Grand offline global finals award ceremony held, launching annual centralized exhibition model

2016

4th Edition · Forest Protection

Theme: Breathe in the Sunshine Forest — Forest Conservation & Habitat Protection

Expanded to multiple cities across Northeast China, officially beginning the national rollout

2017

5th Edition · International Cooperation Milestone

Theme: Beautify the Earth, Green Pledge — Waste Sorting & Solid Waste Management

September: UNESCO Special Representative inaugurated the contest in Dalian with official endorsement
Overseas divisions launched: USA, UK, Ireland, Singapore, Mongolia, Slovakia, and more — total participants exceeded 450,000
November: Youth comic proposals presented at the Bonn UN Climate Summit — first-ever Chinese youth environmental comics on the international climate stage
Online digital exhibition hall launched, accumulating 900,000 users within two years

2018

6th Edition · Global Plastic Action

Theme: Beat Plastic Pollution — Responding to the UN Marine Plastic Initiative

March: People's Oriental Press published the "Global Four-Comic Collection," featuring 166 award-winning works
July: Outstanding works exhibited at the UN Conference Center with a Youth Ecological Civilization Initiative released
"International City Grand Award" established — first global top prize awarded to a Slovak participant

2019

7th Edition · National Recognition

Theme: Blue Sky Defense — Air Pollution & Low-Carbon Living

March: "Satire & Humor" (People's Daily) became the contest's co-organizer — national media partnership secured
December: Contest selected as a national exemplary case by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's "Beautiful China, I Am an Actor" program
Participating cities grew to nearly 40 worldwide, cumulative participants exceeding 1.5 million

2020

8th Edition · Biodiversity

Theme: Biodiversity — Echoing the UN Convention on Biological Diversity

Global finals held at Dalian ACX Xinghai Art Center, with hybrid online-offline judging and overseas video award ceremonies
National divisions expanded to 20+ provinces, stabilizing annual participation at 600,000 youth

2021

Standardization Upgrade

Perfected the full standardized process: divisional selection → global review → annual touring exhibition
Ministry of Ecology and Environment Education Center continued to support nationwide school comic touring exhibitions

2022

9th Edition · Paving the Way to COP

Theme: Only One Earth — Aligned with World Environment Day's Core Agenda

March: 9th Global Finals held at People's Daily headquarters in Beijing, Changsha participant won Global Champion — 450,000 artworks collected in a single edition
August: DLYCA officially became a UNFCCC observer organization, opening the official channel for comic artworks to debut at COP

2023

10th Edition · COP27 Debut Milestone

Theme: Beat Plastic Pollution (Phase II) — Deepening Marine Plastic Education

10th anniversary milestone: nearly 100 cities worldwide participating, cumulative participants exceeding 3 million
First batch of outstanding comic artworks officially exhibited at COP27 China Pavilion in Egypt — the contest's global highest-stage debut

2024

11th Edition · Low-Carbon Education Expansion

Launched National Low-Carbon Day campus special comic touring exhibitions under "Green and Low-Carbon, Beautiful China"
Overseas divisions added Denmark, Germany, Canada, and other European and North American cities

2025

12th Edition · Surpassing 6 Million

Theme: Beautiful China, I Lead the Way — Aligned with the June 5 Environment Day Official Theme

Cumulative global participants exceeded 6 million — the world's largest youth environmental comic public welfare contest
Artworks continue to be exhibited at COP series UN Climate Conferences, forming a permanent climate art showcase

2026

13th Edition · In Progress

Deepening UN agency collaboration, planning and upgrading the COP31 Official Youth Environmental Art Special Exhibition
Developing standardized aesthetic education curriculum for the International Environmental Four-Comic Contest, launching community and campus regular workshops
Expanding projects to Xinjiang and beyond, establishing long-term overseas youth comic exchange mechanisms

Join Us

How to Participate

Learn about requirements and process, join this green art event

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Eligibility

Youth aged 6–18 worldwide

Preschool Elementary Middle School High School

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Artwork Requirements

Presented in four-panel comic format
Created around the annual environmental theme
Must be original work
Any painting style accepted

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Judging Criteria

Theme Relevance — How closely it addresses environmental topics
Creative Expression — Originality and uniqueness of ideas
Artistic Impact — Technique and visual effectiveness
Depth of Thought — Insight into environmental issues

Participation Process

Five steps from submission to the international stage

Registration & Submission

March–June: Register and submit artworks through official channels

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Preliminary & Secondary Review

July–August: Evaluation by expert judging panel

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National Finals

September: Live competition for outstanding works

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Awards & Exhibition

October–November: Awards ceremony + touring exhibition of outstanding works

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International Exhibition

November–December: Winning artworks exhibited at COP UN Climate Conference

Impact

Achievements & Impact

Fourteen years of dedication, bringing profound social influence

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Data Highlights

6M+ Cumulative Youth Participants

100+ Cities Covered

14 Years Consecutive History

10,000+ Partner Schools

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International Impact

Artworks exhibited at COP UN Climate Conferences
Partnerships with multiple international environmental organizations
Chinese youth environmental voices reaching the world
Promoting China-foreign youth climate and cultural exchange

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Educational Value

Millions of youth receiving systematic environmental education
Cultivating artistic literacy and environmental awareness
A vital supplement to school environmental education
Elevating family environmental consciousness

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Social Value

Advancing nationwide environmental awareness
Supporting "dual carbon" goal promotion
Building a city cultural public welfare brand
Promoting holistic youth development

Partnership

Partners & Support

Multiple stakeholders working together to advance youth environmental art education

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Guiding & Supporting Organizations

Dalian Committee of the Communist Youth League
Dalian Bureau of Ecology and Environment
Dalian Education Bureau
UNFCCC Observer Organization

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Partnership Opportunities

We sincerely invite government departments, schools, enterprises, media, and all sectors of society to collaborate:

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Event Sponsorship

Corporate naming, material support, financial contribution

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School Partnerships

Organizing participation, environmental education on campus

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Media Partnerships

Event promotion, artwork dissemination

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Exhibition Partnerships

Touring exhibitions of outstanding works, public welfare exhibitions

Painting a Green Future