This year, the popular Raiffeisen Molconcours, which was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, focused on the core theme of “togetherness” - a multifaceted concept that can express both human solidarity and solidarity (for example with nature or animals). In Luxembourg, children and young people between 4 and 12 years of age could take part, whereby all possible creative techniques such as painting with watercolours, coloured pencils or ink, and also digital image processing and photographic compositions were permitted.

High national participation - Raiffeisen honours 13 winners at national level

The annual drawing competition for children and youngsters has been taking place in Luxembourg for 53 years already and has become an unmissable event at all schools: No fewer than 179 of the country’s 201 primary schools took part this year; a total of 25,592 drawings were submitted.

The 2023 national winners of Primary School Cycle 1 are: Emma Satalino (1st prize), Juliette Ketzle and Layna Konta (both 2nd prize, ex aequo) and Tom Philippart (3rd prize.) in Cycle 2: Kevin Carvalho (1st prize), Lea Philippart (2nd prize), Monica Bitegets (3rd prize). In cycle 3: Rebecca Baciu (1st prize), Elena Becirovic (2nd prize), Anna-Maria Voronkevych (3rd prize) and in cycle 4: Juliette Schiltz Solvi (1st prize), Jachym Kotecki (2nd prize), Valentina Carmo (3rd prize).

As a novelty this year, the national jury awarded for the first time a special prize “Coup de coeur du Jury Molconcours”, which went to 37 children of the Centre pour le développement intellectuel (CDI) in Warken (Ettelbruck).

The works of all the participating young artists were selected by an expert jury presided over by Christiane Haller and whose other members were Francine Vanolst, Nathalie Even, Gérard Claude, Lydie Bintener, Andrée Ley-Goniva, Iva Mrázková and Maria Alonso.

During a ceremony hosted by Raoul Roos and Sarah Melcher at the Banque Raiffeisen headquarters in Leudelange, the national winners of the Raiffeisen Molconcours from School Cycles 1 and 2 (age category 4-8 years) were honoured on 17 June. Raiffeisen invited over 200 guests (100 children with one accompanying parent each) to this friendly family brunch event.

Honouring of the international winners also at Raiffeisen in Leudelange

As well as at national level, the drawing competition is also organised every year at international level, with the prize-giving ceremony taking place alternately in the countries of the other cooperative banks, in other words Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Switzerland. This year, the international competition winners were honoured in Luxembourg on 24 June, once again at the Raiffeisen headquarters in Leudelange. Present were the members of the international jury as well as the winners of the various competitions.

Altogether, 435,567 images and artworks were submitted by the participating countries.

On this occasion, the prizes were also presented to the national winners from School Cycles 3 and 4 (age category 9-12 years).

The works submitted by Kevin Carvalho (1st place age group 8-6 years), Rebecca Baciu (1st place age group 9-10 years) and Juliette Schiltz (1st place age group 11-12 years) have been nominated by the jury as Luxembourg entries for the international award.

The jump into the international league was made by Kevin Carvalho and Rebecca Baciu, who won the 1st and 2nd prize of the international jury in their respective age categories.

After a welcome speech by Yves Biewer, Chairman of the Managment Board of Banque Raiffeisen, Claude Meisch, Minister of Education, Children and Youth congratulated the winners. The Minister pointed out the importance of this annual art event for the promotion of creativity among children and young people.

Exhibition of the award-winning works until the end of August

The 13 nationally awarded paintings, 277 other locally awarded entries and the works of the 23 international winners can be admired during the months of July and August at Banque Raiffeisen’s headquarters, 4 rue Léon Laval in Leudelange, until 31 August (Monday-Friday from 9:00 to 16:00).

From January 2024: A new era!

The 54th edition of the Raiffeisen Art Competition, which will start again in Luxembourg in January 2024 as usual, will have an even larger number of young art enthusiasts to look forward to: there will be a new age category (over 12 years), giving more young people the chance to showcase their talent! In this 54th round, the children and youngsters will then be called upon to deal creatively with the theme “Giving the Earth a Future”.