IKEA announces the winners of the ‘Soft Toy Drawing Competition’ from 10 countries including Korea

Held for the second time in Korea, the ‘Soft Toy Drawing Competition’ was a part of the company’s ‘Let’s Play for Change’ Campaign, which is among IKEA good cause campaigns. During the five-week campaign period starting November 2016, IKEA donated 1 euro for every children’s book and toy sold in IKEA stores worldwide, which resulted in a total of €21.5 million in donations including extra contributions delivered to six partner organizations including UNICEF and Save the Children. These donations will be used to support children in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities and their right to play in a safe environment. Furthermore, based on the company’s belief that children are the most important people in the world, IKEA has been hosting its 'Soft Toy Drawing Competition' since 2014 to allow children around the world to express their imagination and creativity by designing their own soft toys, while also providing them with an opportunity to pursue their dreams and talents.

Each year, IKEA selects ten winning drawings among all submissions from around the world and launches them as limited soft toy products to be sold in IKEA stores worldwide. This year, drawings from ten countries including South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Poland, USA, Germany and Bulgaria have been selected as the final winners among a total of over 70,000 drawings submitted. Also in Korea, over 1,300 children have participated at the event which took place at the IKEA Gwangmyeong Store last November, expressing their imaginations to the fullest. Among the participants, ‘Koroni’, the drawing by Su-Ah Kim, received outstanding remarks for its imaginative composition and creative use of colors. As the final winner, Su-Ah will be given an opportunity to have her drawing launched as a real soft toy product, and a trip to Sweden, the home of IKEA.

“I was greatly impressed to see that each and every drawing submitted by over 70,000 children clearly showed its own creativity and imagination with personal combination of colors, shape and ways of expression,” said Bodil Fritjofsson, product developer in Children’s IKEA. On Su-Ah’s drawing, she said, “it is a drawing that brings an animal of her imagination to real life with unconventional perspective and originality. I hope to see her continue to freely express her imagination and pursue her creative dreams.”

Through IKEA Foundation, IKEA continues to conduct various philanthropic activities to provide opportunities for children and youths in some of the world’s poorest communities, to address their needs in four fundamental areas of life: a place to call home, a healthy start in life, a quality education and a sustainable family income, while helping communities fight and cope with climate change.