Create a logo for the crew of the Russian spacecraft SOYUZ TMA or draw a picture representing your understanding of space and space exploration

Joint project by Union of Charitable Organizations of Russia and United Russian American Association,together with Federal Space Agency and Russian Insurance Centre

Dedicated to the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight, the international competition of children’s drawings of emblems for the crews of Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA is going on, with a trip to the Baikonur space launch centre to meet cosmonauts and astronauts being the prize.
The Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos),  the Union of Charitable Organisations of Russia (UCOR) are asking young artists from Russia and other countries to maintain a good tradition by drawing emblems for the crews of Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS).
The winner, whose drawing will serve the basis for the emblem of another Soyuz TMA crew, will be offered an opportunity to visit the Baikonur space launch centre and watch a blastoff of a Russian spacecraft with his or her own eyes!

Such a prize was given by the Russian Insurance Centre (an insurance joint stock company) to the creators of the patches worn by the Soyuz crews in 2009-10. Now, Russian spacecraft are lofted into space while bearing the emblems drawn for them by children.

It turned out that children-designed emblems were often more impressive and meaningful than those from adult designers. Youth remains keen on space exploration.

Come on, young artists! Use your imagination and invite your friends, classmates and parents to participate. Even if your drawing does not come up on top this time, it might be spotted by a cosmonaut, gearing up for a mission, and selected as his or her emblem some time later. This was the case with the emblem by Yura Menkevich from the Ostrovok orphanage in the Kemerovo Region. Yura’s drawing was designed for the crew of the Soyuz TMA-14 cargo spacecraft but it went in outer space on board Soyuz TMA-15. The name of the winner of the competition has gone down in history.

Do you want your drawing to go on a space flight? Grab your pencils, pens, felt pens or paints and go for it! Only the victory in the competition will bring you a wonderful prize – a trip to a space launch centre where you will be able to see a real launch of a Soyuz TMA spacecraft manned by cosmonauts and astronauts.
We invite kids from all over the world to take part in the competition. A previous competition had a foreign prize winner – Dong Yue, a 13-year-old girl attending the Luhe high school in Beijing. Her work as well as the drawing by Olge Golovin (Russia) served the basis for the emblem of the crew of Soyuz TMA-17 that blasted off on 21 December 2009. Dong Yue and Oleg Golovin visited Baikonur where they watched the launch of the Russian spacecraft.

If you are still below 14, if you are keen on everything space-related, if you dream of watching a rocket roaring off its launch pad, send your drawing to us, we are waiting!
Send us your art work before February 10 2011!

URAA
Elena Suvorova Philips
12122 Moorcreek drive
Houston TX USA 77070
www.uraa.us  281-389-7914

NEW! Presentation of pictures from the kids contest VIDEO