A new school year begins with questions, curiosity and a desire to discover. Starting September 1, the Sci-TRUST project is launching the drawing contest “Through a Child's Eyes: the Researcher”, open to children and teenagers aged 7 to 17 in the Republic of Moldova.

What does a researcher look like in a child’s imagination? Perhaps they work in a lab, study nature, build robots, explore space or seek solutions to the problems that affect our daily lives. Through this contest, we invite children to express their own vision of the researcher’s job and how scientists and their work change our lives every day. The contest is organized as part of European Researchers’ Night 2026, an event that will take place on September 25, 2026.

Who can participate?

To ensure the most accurate and fair evaluation possible, participants will compete in three age categories:

• 7–9 years old
• 10–13 years old
• 14–17 years old

Each participant may submit a single drawing, created individually,  A4 or A3 format, using any medium: pencil, marker, watercolor, gouache or other artistic techniques. The drawing must be accompanied by a 1–2-sentence comment, written in the child’s own words, about what they would like to do as a researcher.

How do you register?

The applications, including the drawing, may be submitted between 1-23 September (23:59), by filling the Registration Form. 

Before registration, please read read the Contest Rules in full.

How are winners selected?

The drawings will be evaluated by a jury composed of representatives from the Sci-TRUST consortium with expertise in fine  arts. Six winners will be selected and awarded prizes - two for each age category. The results will be announced on September 25, 2026, at the European Researchers’ Night in Chișinău and Bălți, as well as on the project’s online channels.

The drawing contest is organized by AO InfoGroup as part of the Sci-TRUST project “Fostering trust in science: European Researchers’ Night” grant agreement No. 101305415, implemented by the Technical University of Moldova, the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, “Alecu Russo” State University of Bălți, AO InfoGroup and “Nicolae Testemițanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy.