HÀ NỘI — The most creative children were awarded in the final round of the contest titled “Critical thinking through painting 2017”, which was held on Sunday at the Việt Nam University of Fine Arts in Hà Nội.

The contest was organised by Mathnasium Vietnam, a centre that aims to introduce children to new and creative methods in learning mathematics.

In the final round of the contest, children had to draw paintings which include a circle, square, rectangle, logenze, trapezium and other shapes.

The first, second and third prize went to children whose paintings have the most original idea, the most interesting style and the most variation in colours.

Eleven-year-old Lê Phương Thảo from Hà Nội won first prize for her painting with the most original idea.

This final round attracted the participation of 200 candidates aged 5-15, from Hà Nội, Hưng Yên, Hải Phòng and Đà Nẵng, out of 2,000 contestants participating since the eliminator round in mid July.

Besides this, there were 10 consolation prizes for creative drawings and 10 hope prizes for the drawings that were the most amusing.

Organisers said the contest aims to affirm that mathematics is not so “dry”, and that it can even be very “artistic”. Through the contest, children can develop different skills including creation and logical thinking that are important for their success in the future. It can help children be more confident, more creative and continue to apply to logical thinking in mathematics as well as in arts and in life.

This is the second year Mathnasium Vietnam has organised this contest for children in the north of Việt Nam. In the first edition of this contest in 2016, thousands of children competed in different rounds.

The contest is highly appreciated by parents because it created an interesting playground for children.

“I thought that my daughter didn’t want to learn mathematics because this subject is difficult. But through the contest, I found that mathematics has high practicality, not only in life but also in the arts, in particular in painting,” Vân Anh, a mother of a girl who participated in the contest, said.

“While participating in this contest, my daughter could paint her dreams in vibrant colours. I hope that the contest will be organised in the coming years, so the children can prove their talent in painting and in learning mathematics.”

The total value of the awards at the contest goes up to VNĐ100 million (US$4,400). Mathnasium Vietnam began operating in HCM City in March 2011. Mathnasium currently has 34 centres in the country with 10,000 students studying. Mathnasium first appeared in the United States and was developed by mathematics professor Larry Martinek. — VNS