Art competition for children
‘What Peace Means to Me’ 2026 by Mayors for Peace
"What Peace Means to Me" 2025 by Mayors for Peace
Since 2006, the city of Chemnitz has been a member of the Mayors for Peace initiative, which is committed to the abolition of nuclear weapons and to lasting, global peace.
To further promote peaceful coexistence, including amongst children in the member cities, Mayors for Peace is once again organising an art competition for children this year on the theme ‘What Peace Means to Me’. The current global political situation shows us that, sadly, peace cannot be taken for granted. Let us therefore set a good example together and lead the way towards a peaceful world.
Mayors for Peace is calling on schoolchildren aged between 6 and 15 to explore the theme of ‘peace’ and to express, in a creative way, what peace means to them. Entries can be submitted until World Peace Day on 21 September 2026.
The drawings submitted to last year’s art competition will be on display at Chemnitz Town Hall from 24 August. Ten-year-old Marius from Chemnitz won a special prize in the global campaign with his drawing. (see Press Release 143 from 2026)
To mark the start of the campaign, the Mayors for Peace flags will once again be raised in front of Chemnitz Town Hall on Wednesday 8 July.
The Mayors for Peace Flag Day commemorates an advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice in The Hague (the principal judicial organ of the United Nations), which was published on 8 July 1996. The International Court of Justice ruled that “there is an obligation under international law to pursue in good faith and bring to a conclusion negotiations leading to nuclear disarmament in all its aspects under strict and effective international control.” To serve as a clear and visible reminder of this, hundreds of towns and municipalities across Germany are flying the Mayors for Peace flag in front of their town halls. Chemnitz is also taking part in this campaign.
Mayors for Peace
The network now comprises over 7,500 towns and municipalities from 163 countries. In Germany alone, over 550 mayors have joined the alliance.
The ‘Lead City’ for Chemnitz is the city of Hanover.
moreImportant information:
Ten-year-old from Chemnitz wins special prize in the international painting competition Mayors for Peace 2025
On 5 March, Lord Mayor Sven Schulze presented the special prize in the Mayors for Peace international art competition to ten-year-old Marius*, a pupil at the Chemnitz partner school.
The international competition was launched in 2025 on the theme of ‘Peaceful Towns’. Children and young people of various ages were invited to submit their own artwork exploring this theme.
In Chemnitz, 43 children and young people from several schools took part with creative entries. A total of 8,079 pictures were submitted from 153 towns and cities in 19 countries. Fifty-two winners were honoured worldwide.
In 2019, the city of Chemnitz took part in the initiative’s annual drawing competition for the first time. In 2022, Collien Gröber from Chemnitz won first prize in the drawing competition.
The Mayors for Peace initiative is committed to a world free of nuclear weapons and peaceful coexistence within society.
* Marius has asked that only his first name be given.