For 13 years, Colgate Palmolive's "My Bright Smile" Global Art Contest has given children across the globe a platform to express their creativity and showcase their artistic talents. The contest is held under the umbrella of Colgate's Oral Health Education Programme "Bright Smiles, Bright Futures (BSBF)", which not only gives children a creative outlet to shine, but also educates them about the benefits of good oral care.
Participating contestants range from children between the ages of six and nine years, and the contest usually receives thousands of entries from across the country. This year, the "My Bright Smile" Global Art Contest saw an overwhelming response from children across Pakistan, with more than 70,000 entries from over 1,051 schools.
On the June 6, an exhibition displaying various entries was held at the Alliance Francaise in Karachi, with renowned artist Riffat Alvi as the chief guest. Prizes were distributed to the 100 best entries and 12 lucky winners were selected for their exemplary pieces of original art.
These were: Huzaifa from Beaconhouse School System, Karachi; Nabila Yasin from Bahria Model School-I, Karachi; Zeeshan Abbas from Bay View Academy, Karachi; Amani Naveed, Headway Escuela, Rawalpindi; Hunain Adnan Aleem, Headway Escuela Junior & High School, Rawalpindi; Mah-a-Kanan, Government Girls Model High School, Lahore; Mutahir Saqib, Lahore Literati School, Lahore; Ali Hassan, Unique Junior School, Lahore; Arsalan Arshad, Oxford Public High School, Faisalabad; Hamda Fatima, Sheri Public School, Faisalabad; Hasnain Mukhtiar, Universal Public School, Muzzafargarh; and Muskan Qayyum, British International School System, Mian Channu.
To acknowledge the hard work and participation of all the contestants, each one was awarded a Colgate "My Bright Smile" Certificate. The next phase of the contest involves the top 12 entries to be sent to Colgate Palmolive's Global Head Office in New York, to represent Pakistan and compete against entries received from other countries. The 12 best entries from across the globe will be showcased in the "My Bright Smile" 2014 Calendar and each winner will receive a Colgate-Palmolive grant of US $250 while their respective schools will receive a grant of US $500. The exhibition will be open to the general public on June 7 and 8 from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm at Alliance Française, Karachi.-PR