July 8th is a memorable day for the Indians as four Indian students have got positions in Arts Competition related with the existence of life on Mars. All the four students depicted the first phase of humanity from their first landing to full settlement on the Red Planet. US-based Mars Society International arranged the contest naming “Student Mars Art Contest 2017 (SMART). About 140 students from different parts of the world between ages 8-18 took part in the contest. The contest demanded the art of still images. The participants were allowed to use pencil, charcoal, watercolors or paint as tools for drawing images. The society also approved the images composed with the help of computers. The students submitted the images on May 31 because the contest also took place in May.
Different paintings of various students depicted different phases of human life on the planet. There were signs of the first landing, field exploration, and various operations at early Mar’s base. Some images also depicted the building of the first Martian Cities. In fact, all the paintings created a revolution in Human mind. Their concepts about the signs of life on the Red Planet changed to a great extent.
There were three categories in the contest. The first included Upper Elementary (grades 4-6), the second consisted of Junior High (grades 7-9), and the third had High Schools (grades 10-12). A class three student from Goenka Public School Model Town, New Delhi won the second prize in the contest of Upper Elementary (grades 4-6). The winning student said in a statement that his painting depicted the possibility of new life on Mars. He also considered Mars the only planet after Earth that could be tested for the possibility of life. This class three student won the cash prize of $500.
Three other students from the same school and same grade won the third prize amounting to $250. Some other students from various schools of New Delhi also won the Certificates and Honorable mention in the contest. All the students were part of “Universe in the School Program” which was an educational program based on a certain curriculum. A New Delhi based Organization Science Popularization Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) arranged this program.
These prize winning images will be posted on official Website of Mars Society. Also, the winning students will attend the “2017 International Mars Society Convention”. The Society will also display their painted images in the convention. The president of Mars Society also expressed the feeling of surprise at the quality and quantity of artwork produced by the students.
