On February 12, 2026, the submission period officially closed for Ukraine’s first national folk art competition for young artists — “Poliska Kazka.” But what concluded on paper marked the beginning of something far greater.

More than 1,000 artworks arrived in just three months.

They came from Odesa and Lviv, Kyiv and Donetsk.

They arrived from Berlin, Warsaw, Tbilisi, Shanghai — even Hanoi.

In a time of war, displacement, and uncertainty, Ukrainian youth chose not silence — but creation.

A Competition That Became a Cultural Movement

Launched in November 2025 by the cultural platform Poliska Kazka in partnership with the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv  , the competition invited artists aged 16 to 30 to reinterpret Ukrainian folk tradition through contemporary artistic language.

The organizers expected interest.

They did not expect a wave.

“When we announced the competition, we could not have imagined such a response. It awakened in young people the desire to study heritage, to create, to reimagine folk art. In times of war, projects like this become vital,” says Margarita Bondarieva, founder of Poliska Kazka.

The numbers alone tell a story — but the geography tells a deeper one.

Every region of Ukraine was represented. Not a single oblast remained silent. Many submissions came from artists forced to flee occupied territories. Their artworks traveled farther than they ever hoped to.

Paintings crossed borders when their creators could not.

How Young Artists Envision “Poliska Kazka”

The mythic imagery of Polissia — Ukraine’s northern forest region — took on new life in hundreds of interpretations.

Recurring motifs emerged:

• Mavkas (forest spirits)
• Otherworldly birds
• Floral cosmologies
• Witches and folklore heroines
• Winter ritual scenes inspired by nativity verteps

In many works, mythology blends with personal memory. The forest is no longer just a landscape — it becomes sanctuary, witness, archive.

The longest winter in modern Ukrainian history perhaps explains the abundance of winter ritual imagery. The “kazka” — the fairy tale — became less fantasy and more emotional survival strategy.

The Youngest Was 11. 

The Oldest — 71.

Officially, the competition accepts artists between 16 and 30 years old  .

Yet submissions broke those boundaries.

An 11-year-old sent a drawing.

Dozens of 15-year-olds followed.

A 71-year-old artist submitted a piece inspired by childhood memories of Polissia.

While these works cannot compete formally due to age restrictions  , they became something else: evidence that cultural continuity ignores bureaucracy.

Most participants were aged 16–23. Many are students of art academies, but a remarkable number are self-taught.

Approximately 80% of submissions were created by women  — a reflection of today’s reality, as many young men serve in the armed forces. And yet, several artworks were received directly from active-duty soldiers.

Some painted between shifts.

Some painted near the front.

Creation, here, is resistance.

From Watercolor to Metal: Reinventing Tradition

The majority of works were created using gouache, watercolor, and pencil. But experimentation flourished. One submission was executed on metal — a striking symbol in itself.

Folk art, often perceived as fragile or nostalgic, appeared in unexpected textures and modern interpretations.

Tradition proved flexible. Alive. Unfinished.

More Than Awards — An Investment in Cultural Future

The winners will receive year-long monthly scholarships  :

Professional Category

• 1st place — 25,000 UAH per month

• 2nd place — 20,000 UAH per month

• 3rd place — 15,000 UAH per month

Amateur Category

• 1st place — 25,000 UAH per month

But beyond financial recognition lies something more profound.

The selected works will be exhibited at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture in Kyiv  .

Winners will be announced on April 23  .

Yet the central result is already clear:

This competition documented a generation that refuses cultural erasure.

A Quiet Cultural Frontline

In times of war, cultural initiatives often seem secondary. Yet history teaches us: identity does not survive by defense alone — it survives by expression.

“Poliska Kazka” has become more than a competition. It is a cartography of resilience.

From Donetsk to Vietnam.

From frontlines to studios abroad.

From medieval myth to modern voice.

Over one thousand stories.

One shared forest.

One nation still imagining itself into the future.

Tamara @Jasia