The Ministry of Environment and Water and the “Global Water Partnership - Bulgaria” Association are inviting entries for this year’s edition of the traditional international Danube Art Master/DAM (“Danube Master of the Arts”) competition. Children from all schools, non-governmental organizations, clubs, children’s centers, or children’s associations in municipalities within the Danube Basin are invited to create a work of art and participate in the competition.

For yet another year, Bulgarian children and students aged 6 to 18 can participate in the international Danube Art Master competition. The initiative is organized by the Global Water Partnership in Central and Eastern Europe (GWP CEE) and the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), and encourages children to take a closer look at their local river, reflect on what the environment means to them, and create original works of art, photography, or video. The competition takes place at two levels: national and international.

This year’s Danube Art Master competition is themed “United by the Danube.” Participants from all countries in the Danube Basin are invited—Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The national phase of the competition will take place from May to October 2026 and will be organized by the national coordinator, the “ ” Association. The Ministry of Environment and Water is a partner in the event.

The competition is traditionally linked to the message of the upcoming Danube Day campaign—June 29—which aims to encourage everyone living in the Danube Basin to raise their awareness and take an active role in protecting the river and its tributaries.

Detailed information about Danube Art Master and how you can participate is available HERE.

The Convention on Cooperation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River was signed by the Danube countries in Sofia on June 29, 1994. It is the strategic document upon which international cooperation for the protection of one of Europe’s most significant rivers and its tributaries is based. The Danube River Basin covers an area of 817,000 km², spanning 19 European countries, thereby connecting 81 million people along its 2,859 km course and uniting diverse languages, cultures, and histories. The basin is characterized by an exceptional diversity of ecosystems and habitats for plant and animal species.