TEHRAN -- The 4th International Children’s Painting Competition announced the winners during the closing ceremony at the Tehran branch of the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) on Sunday evening.

Mehran Moradpur from Iran and Dutrang Douk from Vietnam won the special jury prizes. Organizers also awarded 40 gold, 93 silver, and 184 bronze medals to contestants from different countries.

Iranians Mehdi Saleh-Mojtahed, Mohammad-Hossein Salavatian, and Iraj Dadashi and Austrian Linda Wolfsgruber were the members of the jury, which was headed by Iranian painter Mohammad-Ali Keshavarz.

They stated that increasing the self-awareness of the children and their ability to communicate with other children from all over the world was the main goal of the competition.

“Children need an opportunity to show their artistic creativity. The artistic gifts of children should be identified through indirect methods,” Keshavarz said at the closing ceremony.

A total of 5,379 works from 19 countries were sent to the secretariat of the competition and were put on display in an exhibition at IIDCYA from June 22 to July 2.