Kao Announces Winners of the 16th Kao International Environment Painting Contest for Children

Kao Corporation is pleased to announce the winners and winning works of the 16th Kao International Environment Painting Contest for Children, which was held for children around the world. In this year's 16th contest, we received the highest record 25,159 entries from 31 countries and regions under the theme, "Let's make our environment sustainable, together!" Many of the works were full of diversity, powerful expressing children's thoughts, and messages for the future.

Kao has been holding this contest to encourage children around the world to express their thoughts on the global environment and the future through their paintings since 2010. We have also been actively involved in exhibition activities in the hope that the children's works will inspire people all over the world to think about a sustainable environment and lifestyle.
Since 2024, we have been running a program to donate 50 yen per entry to an environmental activity organization. In this program, children themselves can choose the donation theme from three options (Wildlife protection / Green forest conservation / Reducing marine pollution), allowing their thoughts and wishes to take shape through their participation.
Kao donated a total of 1,257,950 yen to environmental organizations this year. (Donate to: WWF Japan / OISCA International / Pirika)

My mother always told me, "Donate your old clothes to people in need," because when unsold clothes pile up, they harm the environment. I want to say, "Let's donate old clothes and protect the Earth's future." The "Earth Girl" in this painting stands for the many types of used clothing. She is weaving a rainbow cloth to keep the forests and birds beautiful.

This painting conveys the message of "donating clothes you no longer wear to people who need them" from the unique perspective of a child. The composition, which tells the story of old clothes being reborn, the excellent use of color, and the powerful painting skills in this work are all highly appreciated.

An awards ceremony will be held in December 2025 with the top winners online and on site.

Kao, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal care and household products, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals creates high-value-added products and services that provide care and enrichment for the life of all people and the planet. Through its brands such as Attack laundry detergent, Bioré and Jergens skin care products, Laurier sanitary products, Curél, SENSAI, and MOLTON BROWN cosmetics, and Oribe hair care products, Kao is part of the everyday lives of people across Asia, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Combined with its chemical business, which contributes to a wide range of industries, Kao generates about 1,630 billion yen in annual sales. Kao employs about 32,600 people worldwide and has more than 130 years of history in innovation. As an enterprise that provides products people use on a daily basis, the Kao Group takes responsibility to actively reduce the environmental footprint of its products throughout the product lifecycle. This is laid out in Kao's ESG strategy, the Kirei Lifestyle Plan, which launched in 2019.
Please visit the Kao Group website for additional information.