I am surprised that the 21st Contest was also the 21st time for me to be the Chairman of the Judging Committee. Although the judging was postponed for a year due to the global spread of COVID-19 last year, the children's drawings always give me joy and teach me many things.

The pure feelings displayed in the children's works are invigorating; they convey the sentiment that animals and plants are our fellow family members onboard this boat called Earth. I think that adults have finally started to resonate, because the passion of children have been shaking them.

What differentiated humans and animals? I think that one cause of the division was that humans look intently at immobile objects, while animals look at moving objects such as their preys or the fluttering of leaves. For example, cave paintings, which depict humans as well as animals and plants, is a still image; human sciences may have developed from the act of gazing intently at such motionless subjects. For instance, while a butterfly is flying we cannot tell how its wings move or why it can fly, but once turned into a specimen, we can look at its shape from every angle, calculate its volume, and understand its structure. For this reason, "observing motionless objects intently = looking" probably led to the development of science. I think that we can say that paintings are the ultimate science.

The works submitted by the children showcase two contrary ways of looking - looking at moving objects, and looking intently at objects in a still state. Moreover, it was these children's works that taught us adults that we must balance between these two ways of looking. The world continues to face COVID-19 and various problems such as wars and conflicts, but the children’s drawings are all colorful and joy to look at. I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity of judging such enjoyable works.