Creative minds wanted: painting and writing competition for democracy in Ulm!

Creative minds wanted: painting and writing competition for democracy in Ulm!

Exciting things are happening in the city of Ulm! A painting and writing competition organized by the family education center (fbs) has the motto “How do we want to live (together)?” Children and young people are encouraged to creatively express their visions of future coexistence and their role in society. The aim is to create a platform on which young people can share their ideas and actively participate in the discussion about democracy and togetherness.

Participation is open to all children, young people, kindergarten groups, school classes and families. Depending on the age of the participants, submissions can be in the form of images, drawings or texts. The family and school teams are warmly invited to show their creativity and address important social issues. How important this is is illustrated by an overview of the principles of democracy, which form a central part of our society. Democracy not only offers the right to freedom of expression and participation in elections, but also guarantees the protection of human rights and fair participation in political decision-making processes. A vibrant democracy needs voices from all generations and classes in order to be as diverse as possible, as juraforum.de explains.

Closing date and exhibition

In the coming days, fbs will actively contact kindergartens and schools in the Alb-Donau district and Ulm to report on this exciting competition. All submissions must not exceed A3 format and should use a template with the logo from the fbs homepage. On the back of the works, the organizers ask you to provide your first name, age and a contact option such as a telephone number or email address. The deadline for submissions is January 10, 2026, so there's still plenty of time to get creative!

The best works will be exhibited in the fbs building as part of the “Week of Democracy” from January 26th to 31st, 2026 and can be admired there. Of course, the commitment of the participants will also be recognized: At the end of the week, the award-winning works will be announced, although the details of the prizes are still open. A particularly honorable surprise awaits the winners: their work will be presented to the new state parliament of Baden-Württemberg. This is a great opportunity to show that the voice of youth counts! This is significant today when you consider the challenges that democratic systems have to overcome, such as the rise of populism or a lack of political participation for certain groups.

A call for participation

Given the development of democracy in Germany, it is important to continually revitalize and pass on political rights and freedoms. As enshrined in the Basic Law, state power comes from the people - and this is precisely where the active participation of younger people plays a key role. Such projects are crucial to raise awareness of the responsibility we bear as a society. The challenges to democracy require a strong and connected commitment from all of us.

So get creative! Show perspectives, take part in this competition and support the future generation in finding their place and their voice in our society! For information and participation documents, visit the fbs website and actively shape the future. Who knows, maybe we will soon find the best ideas for shaping our coexistence in Ulm and beyond.