The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) in collaboration with the Peace Education Division of the Ministry of Education, organized an island wide art competition on the theme ‘Brush Strokes of Peace in Sri Lanka’ as a comprehensive interactive exercise for peace building through children. It was conceived as a means of transcending ethnic, religious and political barriers, creating a neutral platform for interaction and understanding.

SCOPP commemorated the International Day of Peace on Wednesday 21st September as declared by the United Nations with the inauguration of this child art exhibition.

An island wide school art competition was held to which over seven hundred entries were received from school children of all communities in Sri Lanka between the ages of 10 and 15 years.

The competition conveyed to us the message from our future generation- Peace is the most vital ingredient in the reconciliation process, in preventing further conflict situations by transforming attitudes and perceptions, by understanding values relating to social interdependence, social justice, tolerance and empower us to become agents for the constructive transformation of our nation.

Children must be recognized as amongst the most important beneficiaries of peace, for attitudes relating to war and peace are formed during childhood and relate directly to adult perceptions of these critical issues. Understanding a child’s concept and value of peace, conflict management and resolution can therefore have a direct impact on permanent peace in Sri Lanka.


The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr. Lester James Peiris and Mrs. Sumithra Peiris at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery in Colombo on 21st September, which ran for three days.

A panel of four judges selected seventy-five entries which were exhibited of which six were prize-winning paintings.

The six winners are: