3 . The 2024 “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Foreigners across the Globe—Calligraphy and Painting Challenge has been officially announced.

This competition invites painting, calligraphy, and Chinese language enthusiasts from all around the world to take part in this exciting event.

Participants are encouraged to submit their creative themes for the contest, with the theme selection process being determined through public nominations.

If you’re interested, feel free to submit the theme that you believe fits best with the requirements of the competition.

Here are the requirements:

Who Can Apply

The call for creative themes for the Calligraphy and Painting Challenge is open to any Chinese language enthusiasts worldwide, with no limit to age or nationality.

Submission Dates

Submissions will be accepted from June 15, 2024, to 12:00 PM on June 30, 2024(Beijing Time.)

Announcement Date

The selected theme for the Calligraphy and Painting Challenge will be announced on July 1, 2024, which also marks the official start date of the submission period for works under the selected theme.

Submission Methods

Participants can send their theme and related information to chinesebridge@chineseplus.net. “Chinese Bridge” also accepts direct messages on its official account on Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, and Weibo.

5 . Do you have a talented young artist, photographer, or designer in your life? It’s never too early to start helping them get their work out there! We’e listed the top art competitions for kids and teens that can help these young creators share their first masterpiece with the world. Most of them are totally free to enter!

Global Canvas Children’s Art Competition

Ages: 16 and under

Mediums: drawing, painting

Organized by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, this art competition wants to inspire the next generation to be more mindful of how we take care of the earth. The judges are looking for artists to discover the wonderful places that wildlife calls home.

Toyota Dream Car Art Contest

Ages: 15 and under

Mediums: drawing, painting

Time to design a dream car! Toyota wants to get junior artists thinking about what the future of transportation might look like. Prizes include a chance to tour one of the Toyota car factories and experience various aspects of Japanese culture.

Advena World Children’s Art Competition

Ages: 15 and under

Mediums: drawing, painting, photos and other original artworks

The competition aims to promote creativity and self-expression. Instead of a theme, it asks the participating artists to simply express their feelings-anything from sadness or joy to anger or excitement-through their chosen medium.

Progressive Young Artists Awards

Open to: high school and college students

Mediums: drawing, painting, photograph, mixed media, sculpture

PYAA is all about expressing and celebrating progressive values. So, if there is a creative teen in your life who wants to do good in the world, sign him or her up for this art competition.The prize is a scholarship that winners can put forwards their further schooling.

6 . The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Young Leaders programme empowers talents to make a positive difference in their communities through sport. Twenty-five young leaders are being selected every two years for a four year period. They promote the Olympic values, spreading the message of sport for good.

To be an IOC young leader, you need to first complete the 4-Week Learning Sprint (冲刺).

4-Week Learning Sprint

The 4-Weck Learning Sprint, which will take place during November 2023, is a virtual learning programme. The sessions can be attended live or watched back after they are made available on the IOC channel. Each week, participants will be asked to complete a topic-specific reflection task.

The 4-Week Learning Sprint is open to anyone, with the target audience aged between 20 and 28.

After successfully completing the 4-Week Learning Sprint you will need to submit a plan for a sport-based project which you will work on if selected as an IOC young leader.

Requirements for the Applicants

·You have successfully completed the 4-Week Learning Sprint.

·You have completed your high school studies.

·You have at least one year of work experience.

·You have strong public speaking skills.

·You are self-motivated and committed.

·You are passionate about creating positive change in your community.

·You are open to being coached and advised by experts and peers (同伴).

·You are able to work with people from different backgrounds.

10 . When Marco was a boy, he tried everything to get his father’s love and attention. He studied hard to get good ________ and tried to behave well. He was shy and shorter than the other boys. Besides, his father was ________ and had little time for him. Except for his ________ for housework after school, there was no communication. Marco felt very ________.

One day, his maths teacher called him that some young teenagers were ________ a public speaking contest. She thought he should give it a ________. She firmly believed he could perform on stage (舞台) like other kids. Feeling her strong trust, Marco agreed to ________ the contest.

All winter, he took a bus to ________ twice a week in another city, where the competition would take place. Marco was taken by a strong ________ he never felt before. Finally, the big day arrived. His father, and yes, his maths teacher, were present. When he stepped onto the stage and began to speak, he felt ________ at home. He was funny, and acted very naturally. He won! He noticed his father’s eyes were ________ — he was so proud. It was then that his father ________ he should pay more attention to the child.

As the winner, his name was ________ in the local papers. He knew this was the ________ of his new life. It all happened because of a phone call, from one who ________ him.