Proposed by EuropeAid, an organisation which runs aid programmes outside of the European Union, the competition is aimed at children from non-member states. 8-10 year olds from Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Pacific and countries neighbouring Europe are invited to put their ideas on male/female equality into colour.

| (Video thanks to Yannick Rispoli, European commission)

Children from 27 EU countries will choose the winning drawings: and the two prizewinners from each region won’t be receiving a mere box of coloured pencils, but nothing less than a cheque for 1, 000 euros (£887). Deadlines are 15 May 2009, with an exhibition to follow in Morocco in November.

Submission from India, 2008Submission from India, 2008 | (Image courtesy of Dany Hounbedji at the European commission)