Student from Hofheim, Hessen triumphs in nationwide poster contest defeating beverages associated with coma-inducing effects
WINNER ANNOUNCED IN DAK HEATH POSTER COMPETITION
A student from Hofheim am Taunus in Hesse has triumphed in a nationwide poster competition organized by DAK Health aimed at discouraging excessive alcohol consumption among young people.
Eva Arkenbosch, an 12th-grader at the Main-Taunus School, was awarded for her striking watercolor painting that depicts a woman looking straight into the viewer's eyes while emptying an alcohol bottle simultaneously. The motif conveys the message about the dangers of binge drinking effectively.
In the Hessian competition, Eva beat approximately 250 participants to secure her position as the state winner. She received her award and certificate from Hesse's health minister, Diana Stolz, who was the campaign's patron in Hesse.
"I aimed to create a visual warning against binge drinking that would captivate the viewer. The artwork emphasizes life's vibrancy without the need for alcohol," Arkenbosch explained regarding her motivation for participating in the competition. Her impressive work earned her a prize of €300.
Second place went to Pauline Wingender from Kirchhain, and Eli Schlemon Ay from Wiesbaden took third place. The 'Young Talents' special prize was given to Eliana Lina Potemkin, a 12-year-old student from the Stiftsschule St. Johann in Amöneburg.
Health Minister Diana Stolz stated that the campaign's objective was to show that binge drinking is not cool but dangerous. She expressed her satisfaction at taking on the patronage of the campaign, noting that every case of a young person being hospitalized due to alcohol poisoning is one too many.
Excessive alcohol consumption carries severe health risks for young people. Encouragingly, the decreasing trend of affected young people in Hesse continues. DAK state manager Britta Dalhoff confirmed that they would continue their successful prevention campaign "bunt statt blau" (colorful instead of blue) next year.
According to the Hessian State Statistical Office, the number of affected children and young people has dropped by 17 percent compared to the previous year to 552 cases. Nationwide, around 9,300 young people had to be treated in German hospitals due to alcohol poisoning in 2023, representing a 19 percent decline from the previous year.
The self-designed posters produced under the "bunt statt blau" campaign have a stronger impact on their peers than conventional warning signs, according to the Institute for Therapy and Health Research (IFT-Nord) in Kiel. A federal jury consisting of Burkhard Blienert, the Federal Drug Commissioner, Andreas Storm, DAK board chairman, and experts from IFT-Nord will select the federal winners in 2025, with the award ceremony scheduled for June 11 in Berlin.
The "bunt statt blau" campaign has been running for 16 years and has been recognized as an exemplary prevention initiative featured in the Federal Government's Drug and Addiction Report. More information about the competition can be found at www.dak.de/buntstattblau.
- The striking watercolor painting created by Eva Arkenbosch, a winner of the DAK Health poster competition, encompasses themes not only related to health-and-wellness and mental-health but also extends to education-and-self-development and learning, as it portrays a cautionary message about the dangers of binge drinking.
- The self-designed posters produced under the "bunt statt blau" campaign, such as Eva's artwork, are educational tools that aim to promote science, particularly in relation to health, by discouraging excessive alcohol consumption among young people and ensuring their overall well-being.
- In addition to the prize money earned, winning the DAK Health poster competition signified an opportunity for Eva Arkenbosch to further her learning and contribute to significant causes such as health-and-wellness, mental-health, and education-and-self-development, as her work is set to be showcased and potentially inspire others in the upcoming federal competition.
