“I am in awe each year of the energy that comes through the artworks, and of the breadth of issues that are affecting young people across the globe,” says Amber Testino, founder of #CreateCOP
Art Partner proudly presents the winners of this year’s #CreateCOP, an annual global open call for artwork responding to the climate emergency. Held in parallel with COP29—the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2024 in Azerbaijan—the initiative invites young creatives aged 14 to 30 to share their perspectives through various artistic mediums.
The winners were selected by an esteemed panel of judges, including Anja Rubik (model, activist, and philanthropist), Hans Ulrich Obrist (Artistic Director of the Serpentine), Dr. Subodh Kerkar (artist, social activist, and founder of the Museum of Goa), Marina Testino (sustainable fashion advocate), Ferdinando Verderi (creative director), Shaway Yeh (founder of Yehyehyeh), and Giovanni Testino (founder of Art Partner).
A virtual exhibition showcasing the winning works is now live on artpartner.com. Additionally, select pieces from this year and past CreateCOP competitions will feature in a traveling exhibition at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Fotografiska in Shanghai, and Photo London.
#CreateCOP has received submissions from 130 countries, offering a platform for young artists to challenge the status quo and narrate the human experiences behind the climate crisis. Creative expressions this year ranged from photography, AI-generated imagery, and video to ceramics, weaving, fashion design, and more.
The works submitted this year addressed issues such as disappearing wetlands in Iran, the loss of temperate rainforests in the UK, drought in Bolivia and Myanmar, shrinking mangroves in Vietnam, and threats to indigenous communities in Ecuador. Other themes included plastic and chemical pollution, textile waste, rising sea levels, melting ice caps, rampant wildfires, and the pollinator crisis. These narratives remind world leaders and audiences that the climate emergency is not merely a political or scientific issue but a profoundly human one.
1st Place, awarded $10k:
Gastón Zilberman, Qotzuñi: People of the Lake, Argentina
2nd Place, awarded $5k:
Máté Ladjánszki, Everything is Fine!, Hungary
Adedolapo Boluwatife, INVITATION TO INVADE, Nigeria
3rd Place, awarded $2k:
Albert Sten, Where You Lived, And What You Lived For, Sweden
Lingxi Zhang, Beings, China
Andrew Reeves, Seaweed farmers in Zanzibar, Tanzania, South Africa
Kyaw Zay Yar Lin, Drought and Lifes, Myanmar
Fee-Gloria Groenemeyer, Recycle, Germany
Contestants also expressed their hopes and fears for COP29. Many voiced concern that promises made by global leaders would go unfulfilled, with economic interests prioritised over environmental action. Yet, there was also hope for a collective awakening to humanity’s interconnectedness with nature and a commitment to change.
To explore the winners and their powerful stories, visit createcophub.com.
