Painting competition

The diverse world of water delighted the children and inspired them to create fantastic pictures. 72 schools with 172 classes took part. In over 3,300 children's artworks, pupils from second to fourth grade used a wide variety of painting techniques and materials to depict the small and large inhabitants in and around the water.

As every year, the jury had a tough job. Many creative, wonderful pictures were created in order to once again create a beautiful exhibition at Museum Koenig and an annual calendar for 2025.

The jury members, consisting of representatives from the school authorities, the University of Bonn, the cooperation partners and, for the first time, the artist agency HIGHLIGHTZ, selected 61 pictures for the exhibition. From these 61 pictures, 13 were selected for the awards and the 2025 annual calendar. There were also three special prizes this year.

The AKG and Dr Hans Riegel Foundation would like to thank everyone who made the painting competition a success once again, i.e. the young artists, their parents and dedicated teachers.

Award for young up-and-coming artists in the "Nature inspires" 2023 painting competition

"Colourful life in the rainforest canopy" was the motto of this year's painting competition for primary school children from Bonn and the region as well as the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is organised jointly by the Alexander Koenig Society (AKG) and the Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation and culminated last Sunday, 18 June, with the announcement of the winners.

The winners were invited to the award ceremony in the lecture theatre of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity in Bonn together with their parents, siblings or grandparents and their teachers. Once again, the lecture theatre was packed. The painting competition, which enables primary school children to discover nature through art, was held for the fourteenth time in a row this year.

In over 2,900 children's artworks, pupils from second to fourth grade used a wide variety of painting techniques and materials to explore and imaginatively depict the fascinating, colourful and dazzling life in the canopy of the evergreen rainforest.

Helmut Stahl, President of the AKG, welcomed all those present and thanked all the children who took part again this year, their parents, the dedicated teachers and the jury. His special thanks, however, went to the young artists present, who gave him and the jury an insight into how they see the rainforest. "It's great how you children have solved this complex task!" Stahl emphasised once again how difficult it had been for the jury to decide on the 60 works of art and is looking forward to visiting the exhibition with them!

In her speech, Dr Sautter, Mayor of Bonn and deputy for Lord Mayor Katja Dörner, wished the children "that they keep the joy of painting and drawing as well as the joy of nature and creativity".

Marco Alfter, Managing Director of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, emphasised "how important it is to make children aware of the importance of appreciating and protecting nature at an early age." He was also certain "that the founder, Dr Hans Riegel, would also have liked to be present today, as he was a person who was particularly interested in supporting young people." Alfter gave a brief insight into the projects of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, which focuses on promoting education and vocational training.

Ingrid Hirsch-Leggewie, project manager of the AKG painting competition, praised all the children at the award ceremony for the extraordinary ideas, imagination and attention to detail with which the artworks were created.

The winners all received the same gifts: a certificate, a creative workshop lasting several hours at Museum Koenig and a book on the theme. The respective school class receives a voucher that can be used to equip their natural history and/or art lessons with new materials.

The jury members, consisting of representatives from the school authorities, Museum Koenig, the University of Bonn and other educational institutions as well as the AKG and the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, selected 60 pictures for the exhibition, which can be seen in the Museum Koenig café until August. From these 60 pictures, 13 were selected for the award and the 2024 annual calendar.

On Sunday, 19 June 2022, young artists were awarded prizes for their creative pictures on the topic of "Beetles, spiders, millipedes - creepy-crawlies with 6 or more legs". The painting competition, which enables primary school children to discover nature through art, was held for the thirteenth time in a row this year. The award ceremony took place in the auditorium of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity in Bonn.

Inspired by the wonderful, dazzling world of creepy-crawlies, 2,259 children's artworks from 124 classes from 63 schools in Bonn and the region, including the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate, were submitted this year. Whether on meadows, in the forest, in the garden, in the park, in the pond or on the balcony at home - numerous species were discovered and imaginatively depicted by pupils from second to fourth grade using a wide variety of painting techniques and materials. "Beetles, spiders, millipedes - creepy-crawlies with 6 or more legs" was the theme of this year's painting competition, which is organised jointly by the Alexander Koenig Society (AKG) and the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation

Helmut Stahl, President of the AKG, warmly thanked everyone who took part again this year, i.e. the young artists, their parents, the dedicated teachers and the jury. "Together we have once again defied the obstacles of the pandemic - and everyone enjoyed it."

Dr Leonie Grafweg, project manager of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, particularly highlighted the many different painting techniques that were used with great sensitivity and emphasised the importance of cooperation among the children: "When looking through the pictures, you noticed that the children often communicated and inspired each other. There were also some group works in which very different children created wonderful works of art together."

Ingrid Hirsch-Leggewie, project manager of the AKG painting competition, praised all the children at the award ceremony for the extraordinary ideas and imagination with which the artworks were created.

The winners all received the same prizes: a certificate, a creative workshop lasting several hours at the Museum Koenig and a book matching the theme. The respective school class receives a voucher, which can be used to equip their natural history and/or art lessons with new materials.

The jury members, consisting of representatives from the school authorities, Museum Koenig, the University of Bonn and other educational institutions as well as the AKG and the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, selected 60 pictures for the exhibition, which can be seen in the Museum Koenig café until 7 August. From these 60 pictures, 13 were selected for the award and the 2023 annual calendar.

The 2023 annual calendar with the 13 award-winning pictures will be available again at the Museum Koenig ticket office from autumn. The book: "Children see our world - 10 years of the painting competition" can be purchased at any time.

On Sunday, 22 August 2021, young artists were awarded prizes for their creative paintings on the theme "All the birds are already here" - the colourful world of birds. The painting competition, which enables primary school children to discover nature through art, was held for the twelfth time in a row this year. Due to the coronavirus, only the winners and their parents and teachers could be invited to the award ceremony, which is why the event was broadcast live so that all participants could watch.

Despite ongoing school closures and homeschooling, over 2,100 works of art from 145 classes from 68 schools in Bonn and the region, including the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate, were submitted this year. "All the birds are already here" - the colourful world of birds was the theme of this year's painting competition, which is run jointly by the Alexander Koenig Society (AKG) and the Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation.

Helmut Stahl, President of the AKG, warmly thanked everyone who took part again this year, i.e. the young artists, their parents, the dedicated teachers and the jury. "Together, we have once again defied the obstacles of the pandemic - and everyone enjoyed it."

"Even during his lifetime, it was important to our founder that children engage with our natural world. It would have been a great pleasure for him to see how the young artists take up and realise the themes chosen for the painting competition. They see, they hear and they discover the unique, diverse world of birds and paint them on a sheet of paper in a variety of ways with a brush," added Marco Alfter, Managing Director of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation.

Ingrid Hirsch-Leggewie, project manager of the AKG painting competition, praised all the children at the award ceremony for the extraordinary ideas and imagination with which the works of art were created.

The winners all received the same prizes: a certificate, a creative workshop lasting several hours at the Museum Koenig and a book matching the theme. The respective school class receives a voucher, which can be used to equip their natural history and/or art lessons with new materials.

The jury members, consisting of representatives from the school authorities, Museum Koenig, the University of Bonn and other educational institutions as well as the AKG and the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, selected 60 pictures for the exhibition, which can be seen in the Museum Koenig café until 3 October. From these 60 pictures, 13 were selected for the award and the 2022 annual calendar.

Three special prizes were awarded this year:

Special prize from the Alexander Koenig Society: Alessandro Bazzal

Special prize of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation: Enya Zhao

Special prize of the Alexander Koenig Zoological Research Museum: Claire Weydt

Award ceremony for the winners of the "Natur beflügelt" 2020 painting competition and book launch

On Sunday, 9 August 2020, young up-and-coming artists were honoured for their creative pictures on the theme of "Our colourful meadow". The painting competition, through which primary school children discover nature through art, was held for the eleventh time in a row this year. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the award ceremony took place on a very small scale at the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity.

Despite school closures and homeschooling, almost 1,000 works of art from 61 classes from 35 schools in Bonn and the region, including the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate, were submitted this year. "Our colourful meadow" was the theme of this year's painting competition, which is organised jointly by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG) and the Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation.

Helmut Stahl, President of the AKG, warmly thanked everyone who made this year's painting competition a success under such unusual conditions: the young artists, their parents, the dedicated teachers and the jury.

"It's great when the children go out, paint what they see and show an interest in flora and fauna. This is very much in the spirit of our founder, for whom it was very important during his lifetime that children engage with our natural world," added Marco Alfter, Managing Director of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation.

At the award ceremony, Ingrid Hirsch-Leggewie, project manager at the AKG, praised all the children for their inventiveness and the attention to detail with which the artworks were realised. The winners all received the same prizes: a certificate, a creative workshop lasting several hours at the Museum Koenig and a book on the subject. The respective school class receives a voucher, which can be used to equip their natural history and/or art lessons with new materials.

The jury members, consisting of representatives from the school authorities, Museum Koenig, the University of Bonn and other educational institutions as well as the AKG and the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, selected 60 pictures for the exhibition, which can be seen in the Museum Koenig café until 27 September. From these 60 pictures, 13 were selected for the award and the 2021 annual calendar.

On Sunday, 30 June 2019, proud young artists were awarded prizes for their creative paintings on the theme of "Savannah". The painting competition, which aims to encourage children to discover nature through art, was held for the tenth time in a row. The award ceremony took place in the auditorium of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity, Bonn.

The painting competition was launched in 2010 by Manfred Tulke, honorary member of the Alexander Koenig Society. Since 2016, the competition has been organised in cooperation between the Alexander Koenig Society and the Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation.

Helmut Stahl, President of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V., was delighted: "The painting competition was a creative act and is a great success. Our lasting thanks go to Manfred Tulke! Our joy accompanies Mrs Hirsch-Leggewie, who is now in charge of the competition for the Alexander Koenig Society."

Marco Alfter, Managing Director of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, echoed Mr Tulke's thanks and emphasised that the founder, Dr Hans Riegel, would certainly have been very enthusiastic about the works of the young artists.

This year, 194 classes from 59 schools in Bonn and the region, including the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate, took part in the painting competition on the theme of "Savannah". The jury members had the difficult task of first selecting 60 works of art from the 3,272 submitted pictures for the exhibition in the Museum Koenig café and then choosing 13 pictures from this selection for the award ceremony.

In preparation, all primary schools in Bonn, the Rhein-Sieg district and northern Rhineland-Palatinate received a 4-page flyer with pictures and information about the savannah. In addition, the participating classes were given a free guided tour of the Museum Alexander Koenig to help them prepare.

The winners all received the same prizes: a certificate, a creative workshop with art teacher Karlheinz Witzig, a book and a soft toy. The school classes of the winners received a voucher for their joint commitment, which can be used to equip their natural history and/or art lessons with new materials.

On Sunday, 17 June 2018, the Alexander Koenig Society and the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation presented awards in the auditorium of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity in Bonn to 13 proud young artists who did a particularly good job of realising this year's theme "... a colourful butterfly is flying".

This year, 153 classes from 67 schools in Bonn and the region, including the northern part of Rhineland-Palatinate, took part in the painting competition. The jury members had the difficult task of first selecting 60 works of art from the 3,479 pictures submitted for the exhibition in the Museum Koenig café and then choosing 13 pictures from this selection for the award ceremony.

Prof. Ingeborg Henzler, board member of the Dr. Hans Riegel Foundation, was delighted with the great response to the competition and the colourful, creative works of art created by the primary school pupils this year.

Together with her, Helmut Stahl, President of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V., thanked the children, parents and especially the teachers who were committed to the success of the competition: "A great achievement that is reflected in the beauty of the pictures."

The children painted the world of butterflies with great attention to detail. The large, informative flyer by Manfred Tulke, wonderfully designed with the help of former Beuel district mayor and butterfly expert Wolfgang Hürter, helped as it does every year. Numerous classes also benefited from free guided tours of the Museum Koenig.

The 13 winners all received the same prizes: a creative workshop with art teacher Karlheinz Witzig, a book about butterflies and a voucher for a family admission ticket to the Butterfly Garden in the park of Sayn Castle, which was made possible thanks to this year's cooperation with the Butterfly Garden. The school classes of the winners received a suitcase with a class set of cup magnifiers and a box with identification cards for native insects and spiders for their joint commitment.

The 60 selected pictures can be admired in the Museum Koenig café until 21 October. All citizens of Bonn and beyond are cordially invited to attend.

From the autumn, the 2019 annual calendar with the 13 award-winning pictures will be available to buy again from the Generalanzeiger office and at the Museum Koenig ticket office.

The winners are: Johann Buchholz, Nisa Nur Camli, Sarah Everink, Thalia Frick, Justus Grothues, Finia Kallergis, Philipp Kuhn, Lukas Majores, Maya Mendoza, Isabella Middendorf, Carolin Raimann, Kaan Ulutas, Selena Vera-Waldow

Also selected for the exhibition were Whitney Aidoo, Sara Atas, Rama Beyk, Ella Bornemann, Salsabil Botrahi, Emma Bühlmeier, Valeria Emanuilova, Tim Enders, Ewan Erbert, Victoria Felser, Jonas Finley, Ciara Graham, Mariah Hanita, Carla Hartkopf, Anna Hauptmeier, Marlene Henkel, Marla Kolossa, Emilia Korzunowicz, Isabelle Lehmler, Ilona Manakova, Mohammad Mustafa, Mail-Damai Nasution, Dima Nofal, Gresa Omuri, Steffi Prapakaran, Celina Puskaric, Fatjola Rexhaj, Michelle Rieck, Evelyn Rieht, Ronja Rondot, Emma Rother, Lidia Rzepinski, Damon Schepp, Finja Schmitt, Johannes Schuster, Laura Seidl, Emil Simons, Klara Singh, Ömer Sönmez, Amélie Stroß, Delnaz Suleiman, Carolina Szargut, Emmylou Tönnies, Robert Varga, Finn Weigt, Endeshaw Wilms, Mascha Zudairova

The special prize of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. goes to the OGGS am Pleiser Wald in Sankt Augustin for the joint work of the kite class. The special prize from the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation goes to the Astrid Lindgren School in Bonn for the work of classes 4a and 4b. Two further special prizes were donated by individuals this year. Manfred Tulke presented a special prize to the individual work of Helena Seifert. Prof Dr J. Wolfgang Wägele donated a prize for the individual work of Leonardo Mustafova.

On Sunday, 9 July 2016, 13 proud young artists from primary schools in Bonn and the region were honoured in the auditorium of the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig - Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity, Bonn, who, in the opinion of the jury, had best implemented this year's theme "The wonderful water world of lakes and rivers - what lives in and on the water".

Even Mayor Gabriele Klingmüller rarely experiences such a cheerful event. As a former teacher, her heart sank as the hall full of children waited excitedly and proudly for the ceremonial presentation of the prizes for their pictures. For Helmut Stahl, the new President of the Alexander Koenig Society, it was a very lively and touching introduction to his new duties. The theme "The wonderful water world of lakes and rivers - what lives in and on the water" was vividly and masterfully realised by the primary school children from 135 classes.

"This life in, on and under water was much easier to imagine thanks to the personality that the children gave their animals. When they laugh and talk to each other, about romance, but also about lurking for prey or when beauty simply prevails, then you also know what needs to be protected in the future," commented Birgit Rößle, project manager of the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, on the award-winning works.

The children have painted this world with great attention to detail. The large, informative flyer by Manfred Tulke, wonderfully designed with the help of scientist Friedrich Wilhelm Miesen, helped as it does every year. But the teachers also contributed a great deal of commitment and 67 classes also took the time for the free guided tours through the new river landscapes in the basement of the Museum Koenig.

Petra Römer, headmistress of the Paul Klee School, confirmed afterwards that she was in favour of all classes at her school taking part. For her, it is a small miracle that the jury, without knowing about each other, selected exactly the pictures of the children for whom she had also wished for this confirmation. Joint artistic activity and communication is also helpful for the integration of newly arrived children. Painting allows all the children to show what they are made of, even those who find it more difficult in other areas due to language barriers or similar.

Birgit Rößle and Anne Kreuz from the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, who are organising the painting competition together with the Alexander Koenig Gesellschaft e.V. and Museum Koenig, paid tribute to each picture in a child-friendly way, so that all the children in the hall followed the event with rapt attention despite the sweltering heat. Now the 13 winners are looking forward to their prizes (a knowledge quiz on life in rivers and lakes and a frog as a soft toy) and above all to the creative workshop with the artist and art teacher Karlheinz Witzig. The school classes of the award winners received a rucksack for nature exploration for their joint commitment: with a discovery set, microscope and magnifying glasses.

After the closing words, the children asked which topic they would be allowed to paint next year. With the answer "butterflies", the children were already enthusiastically composing their next works of art in their heads. But first, the 60 selected pictures can be admired in the cafeteria of the Museum Koenig until October. All citizens of Bonn and beyond are cordially invited to do so!

Just in time for the new year, the calendars - this time in a larger format - can once again be purchased at the Generalanzeiger office.

If you have any questions, please contact: Birgit Rößle, Project Manager Dr Hans Riegel Foundation, Tel. +49 (0) 228 - 227 447 16, e-mail: birgit.roessle@hans-riegel-stiftung.com(link sends e-mail)

The Alexander Koenig Society & the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation

The prize winners are:Leandra Bahrouz, Lukas Dolf, Remas Elrahabi, Lilly Geikowski, Shayan Kalari, Frederik Kramer, Maja Oeltz, Jeremy Petrov, Nourah Salem, Lara Maria Saftescu, Noah Schliwinski, Nike Schmidt, Jonathan Weinz

The following were also selected for the exhibition: Mohammad Al Jalaby, Giulia Alicata, Dunja Arfaoui, Daria Barbu, Mai Candela Pscolla Esteve, Iwan Dragin, Finn Dreeser, Julia Luna Engler, Marie-Khandro Everding, Alyssa Maria Friesen, Marie Frost, Emily Fuhrmann, Idal Göktas, Mika Gutberlet and Youness Al Horda, Meriam Haloui, Emilia Hartmann, Lisa Hauke and Alishia Lutze, David Henseler, Luise Hoffmann, Adrian Muna Humphrey, Lena Anna Klein, Lucy Klütsch, Sam Kodjo, Lena Kolvenbach, Moritz Ludwig, David Meier, Marcel Miller, Ridwan Abdifita Mohamed, Maximilian Müller, Tube Nur, Joshua Petrov, Conrad Rohr, Timo Röhrig, Nadeshda Schmid and Zara Koc, Paul Schnieders and Jan Shikani, Vincent Stavrev, Ben Stöber, Maria Strecker, Hicham Telmsahi, Nikita Walsdorf, Emily Wiegel, Margarita Wiegel, Sophia Wittig and Salome Reul, Max Wolter, Emilia Wuppermann, Abdullah Zelfani, Anita Zodoueh-Hali

"The colourful animal world of the rainforests" was the theme of this year's painting competition for primary schools, which has been organised in cooperation with the Alexander Koenig Society (AKG) and the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation since 2016.

We received 3400 entries from more than 70 primary schools. Primary schools from the north of Rhineland-Palatinate have also joined the programme. 165 classes benefited from a total of 250 free guided tours of the Museum Koenig exhibition and were inspired by the world of the rainforest depicted.

The jury had a very difficult task. So many of the pictures submitted depicted life in the rainforest in a lively, colourful and imaginative way. The jury members, consisting of representatives of the respective school authorities, artists, representatives of the co-operation partners and the sponsors (General-Anzeiger, Lions Club, Gerhardt company), selected 60 pictures, which were exhibited in the museum café until
9 October. October in the museum café. From these pictures, 13 were selected to adorn the 2017 annual calendar.

The winning pictures are by

Boris Babicevs, Diana Belimov, Johanna Blüm, Lasse Brinkmann, Rosa Holzwarth, Tahseen Junaid, Emilia Lichte, Bennett Poeten, Bediya Özdemir, Johanna Stöckl, Julia Warnecke, Jonathan Weinz, Dasheng Yan

The special prize of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. goes to one of the newly added schools from northern Rhineland-Palatinate, the Asbach Am Frankenwall primary school. It is the huge picture at the entrance. There is also a documentary about the creation process.

Another special prize from the Dr Hans Riegel Foundation goes to the Rheinische Förderschule in Bonn for the wonderful three-dimensional parrots made of wood by the pupils.

The 2017 painting competition calendar can now be purchased at the Museum Koenig ticket office for 5 euros.

The Alexander Koenig Society and the Alexander Koenig Zoological Research Museum organised a painting competition for the 6th time this spring. All primary and special schools in Bonn and the region were invited to take part. The theme was: "Full of experiences: OUR BEAUTIFUL FOREST". This time, 80 schools with 240 classes took part. A total of 4680 entries were submitted. The expert jury consisted of 11 ladies and gentlemen from the education authority, the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V., the Museum Koenig and the circle of sponsors. 60 works were selected for an exhibition. Of these, 12 works were awarded prizes, from which a calendar for 2016 will be created in autumn.

Manfred Tulke, the initiator of the competition, assisted by school councillor Claudia Brall, presented all the winners with a certificate, a high-quality illustrated book with a small surprise and 3 x 3 free lessons in our creative workshop.

This year, Museum Koenig donated a free guided tour of the exhibitions to all classes that took part.

"It is admirable to see what the pupils have come up with on the subject and how much diligence and effort they have put into creating works that are simply a joy to look at. We would also like to praise and thank the teachers, whose preparation of the topic has led the children to remarkable achievements," said Uwe Schäkel, President of the Alexander Koenig Society. The Lord Mayor of the City of Bonn, Jürgen Nimptsch, combined his enthusiasm for the children's achievements with the idea of getting involved with the environment. He encouraged them to take care of the city's tree beds as tree sponsors.

Winners of the 2015 painting competition:

Leonie Christ, Greta Helmer, Greta Meree, Romy Hoffmann, Rosalena Schmitz, Isabell Kinzel, Emma Lücke, Eva Winklbauer, Sophie Honin, Inga Hewicker, Abdel Karim Bouhanouch, Emily Rösch, Ann-Kristin Maja, Amelie Probst

Special prizes:

For the two three-dimensional objects by Anna Maria Ralaka-Kootz and Peter Frahm

For the 5 peep boxes by Bianca (Chi Som) Nduchekwe , Pia M. Frankeser, Ana Abziandize, Sophia Bart and Kyara Darwiche