Under the banner of the UNFPA-sponsored Art for Social Change awards, to be declared in April this year, the competition is aimed at spreading the message of gender equality through paintings.

Ten students from the Faculty of Fine Arts, to be selected by the painting department, will participate in the event. The last date for the submission of the artworks is February 29.

Pointing out the skewed sex ratio in the country, Diti Swain, a CMS member, said that female foeticide and infanticide generally go unchecked in the country, therefore the painting competition would see a lot of young artists generate a creative message for the people. “The competition is only open to under-graduate and post-graduate students pursuing fine arts,” Swain said.

So far, 49 out of 88 colleges have confirmed their contestants, and according to Swain, there will be more participants by the end of this month. Apart from MSU, students from C N Sheth College of Fine Arts in Ahmedabad will also participate.

The jury is expecting around 400 paintings of the size 30 by 40 inches without the frame, of which 52 will be selected. The best three paintings will feature in the UNFPA-designed calendars and diaries. "The 52 selected paintings from across the country will be awarded Rs 5,000 each, followed by a mobile exhibition throughout the nation to spread awareness about female foeticide and gender equality," Swain said.