Art competition helps boost image of county

The poverty alleviation team in Xunwu hosted its first National College Digital Art and Design Awards last year to raise the profile of the county, which is one of the most impoverished in Jiangxi province.

The competition is jointly organized by Talent Exchange Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and was first held in 2011.

"It aims to inspire passion for artistic creativity among university students in China and reflect the hot spots of social welfare through their works," said Guo Qingsheng, secretary of the competition.

Every year, students from universities nationwide are invited to draw or design artworks about a range of topics, which are judged and awarded prizes.

This year's competition required students to create works based on the county's culture.

"Except for a few plains, Xunwu's typical topography is mountainous, and the navel orange is one of the few products people can count on to get rid of poverty," said Zhang Hai, director of the local poverty alleviation team.

"I believe that with more students producing works of art based on Xunwu, more people will get to know the place, which may prompt them to visit or buy local goods, such as navel oranges."

By the end of September, the organizing committee had received more than 1,300 entries from over 130 universities, and 80 works were awarded certificates.

The organizing committee selected 15 award-winning designs to advertise local products, such as packing boxes for oranges or postcards.

Guo said this year more than 100 students were invited to visit Xunwu from May to September to gain inspiration for the competition. The annual competition runs from February to August, and Xunwu has been selected as the host for three consecutive years.

"I think after the visit they may be left with a profound impression of the place, which may better inspire them to produce an original work," Guo said.

"What is more, there are a large number of university students in China and we believe that without their attention and effort, poverty alleviation will be harder to accomplish in the future."

Zhang said: "The locals were surprised when a group of students visited the county, and they told me that they were pleased to see the students as they brought life to the town. The competition will be held again next year, and I hope more students will join it and visit Xunwu."