The"Better Waterfront" 2025 Zhujiajiao International Art Festival and theninth International InkPaintArtContest for Teenagersofficially launched its global call for entries on April 20 in ZhujiajiaoAncientTown.

This international art event adopts an innovative approach that combines AI technology with traditional ink art, initiating a cross-temporal artistic dialogue.

The opening ceremony achieved a cloud-based connection between three cities - Shanghai, London and Paris - through video link. Students from Grendon Primary School in London presented their environmental art project "Recycled Materials Creation Class" inspired by the Thames River, while the Galerie du Génie de la Bastille in Paris announced that this year's winning works would be exhibited again along the Seine River in August 2025.

The "Creative Inspiration Handbook" released at the event incorporates diverse waterfrontcultures including Shanghai's riverside, Jiangnan water towns and the Thames River, providing creative guidance for young people worldwide.

According to the organizers, since its establishment in 2017, thecontesthas attracted over 100,000 participants from 12 countries, forming a cultural dissemination model of "ink as medium, art without borders". Theeighth edition in 2024 saw 3,500 young participants from 12 countries submitting 3,818 works, achieving dissemination insevenlanguages and 3 million media exposures.

"I think the event is very interesting and is a very good platform for cultural exchange," said Andrew Juchniewicz from Poland, whose nine-year-old child attended the competition in the past.

This year'scontestintroduces two new categories for the first time: the "Present Group" focusing on real waterside life scenes in 2025, and the "Future Group" envisioning a future in 2035 where technology and humanity coexist harmoniously. Participants may choose from various forms including calligraphy, ink painting, AI art and photography to depict iconic waterfronts such as Shanghai's "HuangpuRiverand SuzhouCreek", ZhujiajiaoAncientTown and the Thames River.

During this year's art festival, a series of transnational creative activities will be held.The "Shanghai AI Creation Camp" launching in May will bring together Chinese and British youth to complete the "WaterfrontRebirth" digital art project under artists' guidance.The London EnvironmentalProtectionWorkshop will create waterfrontinstallation art using recycled materials. Starting from August, winning works will be exhibited at Shanghai's Zhujiajiao, London County Hall and Paris' Galerie du Génie de la Bastille, building a cross-cultural dialogue platform.

From now until May 25, young people aged 4-17 worldwide can submit their works through the official WeChat account of "moyunshaonian", using creativity to paint a new waterfrontvision for the community with a shared future for mankind.