“Serving and reigning with Christ” – that’s not easy to illustrate. Hundreds of young creative heads from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka took on the challenge and presented a kaleidoscope of ideas.
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
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Photo: NAC India
Picking the winners was definitely not easy. A whopping 321 works of art were submitted to the jury of the art contest which the New Apostolic Church India had launched to illustrate the 2023 motto. Creative heads from India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh had put on their thinking caps to come up with a logo for the annual motto “Serving and reigning with Christ”.
Footwashing illustrates serving
Most of the artworks, namely 294, came from India, twenty from Sri Lanka, and seven from Bangladesh. “It was a joy to browse through the various expressions of creativity,” the 17-member jury panel reports. “The submissions ranged from abstract renditions of the cross to depictions of Bible stories where Jesus gave examples of serving.” Popular entries included the washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus and the feeding of the five thousand.
Although the theme “reigning” is fairly elusive, the participants of the contest let their imaginations rip and came up with amazing ideas. Many depicted the future with Christ to illustrate the theme of “reigning”.
Round after round
Even after about 100 submissions had to be sorted out because they did not meet the contest guidelines—to honour the artworks, the jury posted some of them on Facebook—it was still not easy for the jury to make a choice.
In the end, after a shortlist of 22 was made, a jury panel of 17 voted to determine the ten winners and finally the winning artwork. The winner and the two runners up were awarded money to assist them with their education.
The winners
The artwork by the winner, 16-year-old Krupa Lokhande from Shivaji Nagar in Mumbai, India, will from now on adorn flyers and posters designed by the Regional Church. Krupa’s logo consists of five simple elements: an open Bible with a chain of people, a globe, a blue cross, and a yellow crown on top of the globe. These elements together convey a clear message: “The multitude of people on the Bible symbolises that the gospel is available to everyone. We are connected to one another as our faith is based on the Bible. Christ is with us not physically but through His church and the sacraments. We accept Him as our Saviour and King, and are called to serve and reign with Him.”
The first runner-up is 15-year-old Riya Vairagar from Rokdobawadi in Nashik, India. Her artwork features Jesus standing on top of a big cloud in a mountainous landscape. The centre of the artwork has the blue church emblem, the motto ‘Serving and reigning with Christ’, and a dove all within a semi-circle. This central composition is surrounded by five more clouds, two of which feature people praying and preaching the gospel. Jesus is depicted with His arms spread out, reaching out to the people on the clouds.
The third place goes to 21-year-old Kanchan Bhalerao from Aurangabad in India. Her artwork is a logo with multiple layers: a circular chain of people surrounding the earth, which is placed over a blue cross. Within the earth, the artist illustrated Jesus sitting and embracing a child.
A special award
All the participants of the 2023 motto contest will receive a personalised certificate of participation. The top ten entries, whose names are featured on the website, will get to spend some personal time with an Apostle of their choice.
“Seeing the creativity and talent of so many young artists was an honour,” the jury said. “We are excited to see what the future holds for these talented individuals and the impact they will have on the community and the world.”