United Nations Environment Programme and Bayer Corporation Announce North American Winners of International Children's Painting C...( First and Second Place Winners Hail ...),Health

First and Second Place Winners Hail from San Francisco Bay Area, Northern

New Jersey

WASHINGTON, April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Cindy Liu, a fifth-grader at the Harker School in San Jose, Calif., and Connie Yu, a seventh-grader at John Adams Middle School in Edison, N.J., have been named the first and second prize winners, respectively, of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) 17th annual International Children's Painting Competition for North America. They were selected from more than 700 students who submitted artworks in the region.

The International Children's Painting Competition (ICPC), a signature event of UNEP's World Environment Day celebrations held annually on June 5, is sponsored globally by Bayer AG and regionally in North America by Bayer Corporation. Both students won for artwork they created that addresses this year's Painting Competition theme, "Climate Change: Actions We Can Take Now."

Bayer Corporation representatives joined officials from UNEP's North American Regional Office (UNEP RONA) to award a certificate to the first place winner on Earth Day, at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Ms. Liu will receive $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Wellington, New Zealand, this year's World Environment Day global host city, where she will join winners from the other five UNEP regions of Africa; Asia and the Pacific; West Asia; Latin America and the Caribbean; and Europe.

As second prize winner, Ms. Yu and a chaperone will receive an all- expense-paid trip, courtesy of Bayer, to the Chicago Botanic Garden, host venue of the North American World Environment Day celebrations. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, she and local Chicago students will be honored and their artwork unveiled at the ICPC Regional Exhibition.

The International Children's Painting Competition (ICPC), long a key part of World Environment Day, invites elementary and middle school students ages six to 14 fro
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