We attended the welcome reception for the 24th Kawasaki Junior Cultural Prize winner visit in Wollongong on 20 August. This cultural prize is an art and essay competition for Kawasaki year 5-6 students and sponsored by Kawasaki Shinkin Bank. The competition has been providing opportunities for students as Kawasaki International Friendship Ambassadors to visit Wollongong, their sister city. Two winners each from the art and essay categories, chosen from a total of 4,658 entrants, got the chance to go this year.
At the reception, the winners handed their works to the Deputy Lord Mayor of Wollongong – the works will be displayed in the Wollongong Council offices and open to local residents. Some students learning Japanese language in Wollongong attended the reception and made speeches in Japanese, much to the delight of the visitors from Kawasaki.
Next year will be two milestones in this relationship: the Kawasaki Junior Art Cultural Prize will mark its 25th anniversary in 2016, and the total number of ambassadors will have exceeded 100 students.
