On September 16, 2026, women leaders from around the world gathered in Cheongju for the opening day of the 2026 International Women’s Peace Conference. The first day brought together children’s visions of peace expressed through art and women leaders working to put peace into practice in communities around the world.

In the afternoon, judges conducted the final evaluation for the 8th International Loving-Peace Art Competition. In the evening, overseas IWPG branch leaders and key leaders from 31 countries gathered ahead of the main conference program. The day’s events brought together two perspectives on peace: the hopes of children expressed through art and the experiences of women working for peace in their communities.

🖌 78 Artworks Carry Children’s Messages of Peace

A total of 80 artworks had advanced to the finals through national and international preliminary rounds. Following a final verification process, 78 entries proceeded to the final judging.

Divided into four age-based categories, the artworks presented children’s own perspectives on peace. Some depicted people holding hands, while others portrayed harmony between people and nature or a world united across borders.

Rather than expressing peace through grand declarations, the children’s works often portrayed it through everyday ideas of understanding, coexistence and connection.

🏛 Artist Behind Berlin’s East Side Gallery Joins Final Judging

The final judging panel included Kani Alavi, a representative of Berlin’s East Side Gallery, and Jeong Gi-chang, an accounting and legal adviser to the Federation of Artistic and Cultural Organization of Korea.

Alavi is known for his role in transforming the Berlin Wall, once a symbol of division and confrontation, into a space for artistic expression. Together, the two judges evaluated the finalists based on creativity, the expression of peace messages and artistic presentation before selecting the winners.

The overall Grand Prize went to Chananya Thongthoi (Division 4, Thailand).

The Gold Prize winners in each division were:

Division 1: 🥇 Gold Prize – Dhanwin Dhrafani (India)
Division 2: 🥇 Gold Prize – Nella Bažatová (Czech Republic)
Division 3: 🥇 Gold Prize – Nele Putzing (Germany)
Division 4: 🥇 Gold Prize – Benedict Tan Wei Bum (Malaysia)

Silver and Bronze Prize winners included children from the Czech Republic, the Philippines, China, Türkiye, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar and the Republic of Korea. Honorable Mentions were also awarded to participants from Korea, Mongolia, Rwanda, Kenya and Sri Lanka. ☞ View the full award results and winning artworks

🤝 IWPG Branch Leaders Gather in Cheongju

As evening fell, IWPG branch leaders and other key leaders from 31 countries gathered in Cheongju.

Participants arrived from cities including Cape Town, Johannesburg, San Francisco and Jakarta, exchanging greetings and sharing experiences from peace initiatives in their respective regions.

Although their communities and working environments varied, they shared a common experience of putting peace into practice in their daily lives. The gathering provided an opportunity for leaders to learn more about one another’s work and strengthen connections ahead of the main conference program.

Next Story ☞ [IWPC 2026②] Women Leaders Explore Ways to Advance Peace Policies and Global Governance