“Colours of the Dniester” Award Ceremonies Celebrate Young Voices and Co-operation for the Shared River in Moldova and Ukraine

Molovata Nouă, Republic of Moldova, 31 May 2026 — Children, young people, educators, local partners and community representatives in the Republic of Moldova gathered for the award ceremony of the 2025 edition of the basin-wide creativity contest “Colours of the Dniester”, highlighting the importance of environmental awareness, youth engagement and transboundary co-operation for the protection of the shared Dniester River. The award ceremony was organized as part of the Dniester Day Festival.

Award ceremonies in Ukraine took place on 27–28 May 2026 across several locations in the Ukrainian part of the Dniester River basin, including Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Odesa and Ovidiopol.

Together, the events brought young participants, educators, local co-ordinators and partners from both countries around a shared message: protecting the Dniester requires awareness, responsibility and co-operation across borders and communities.

A basin-wide contest for a shared river

Organized annually in the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, “Colours of the Dniester” encourages children, young people, educators and water users to learn about the Dniester River, reflect on its importance and express their vision for its protection through creative works.

For more than 17 years, the contest has been one of the most visible public awareness initiatives dedicated to the shared river. Since its launch, it has engaged more than 25,000 participants and recognized more than 1,800 winners and awardees across the Dniester River basin.

The 2025 edition, held under the motto “Colours of the Dniester — a shared art of protecting the river,” received 1,160 creative works from pupils, students, educators and water users across the basin. Following an assessment by an independent jury, 132 winning works were selected across all contest categories, including drawing, photography, video, articles, poems, essays and community events.

“From an OSCE perspective, environmental related challenges have long been recognised as opportunities for dialogue and cooperation. Long-standing activities such as this basin-wide contest create space for communication beyond formal processes, reinforcing trust and shared responsibility at the local and transboundary level” said Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.

As in previous years, the OSCE supported a number of awareness-raising activities in the Dniester basin, including the “Colours of the Dniester” creativity contest, as part of broader efforts to reinforce the importance of co-operation for a more resilient and sustainable Dniester River basin.

The 2025 edition of “Colours of the Dniester” was supported within the framework of the GEF/UNDP/OSCE regional project “Advancing Transboundary Co-operation and Integrated Water Resources Management in the Dniester River Basin through Implementation of the Strategic Action Programme.”

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serving as the implementing agency, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) as the executing agency, and support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The project aims to advance Integrated Water Resources Management in the Dniester River basin and support implementation of the priority actions identified in the Dniester Strategic Action Programme 2021–2035.

Young people as agents of change

The award ceremonies recognized not only the creativity of children and young people, but also the contributions of teachers, mentors, local co-ordinators, jury members, volunteers and partner organizations that continue to support environmental education and public engagement across the basin.

Through their creative works, young people demonstrated that they are not only observers of environmental change, but also important voices for awareness, responsibility and action. By taking part in the contest, they help keep the Dniester in the public eye and inspire families, schools and communities to care for the river.

Why the Dniester matters

The Dniester is one of Europe’s major transboundary rivers and the ninth largest river on the continent. It stretches approximately 1,350 kilometres across a basin covering more than 72,000 km² shared by the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

More than 8 million people depend on the river. It provides drinking water and supports livelihoods, agriculture, biodiversity and local economies, while facing shared pressures such as climate change, floods, droughts, pollution and competing water uses.

Addressing these challenges requires continued co-operation between Moldova and Ukraine, including through the Dniester River Basin Commission.

For more information: Save the Dniester river together