Creative competition for secondary schools in the UNESCO Global Geopark Thüringen Inselsberg – Drei Gleichen
To mark International Geodiversity Day on 6 October, the UNESCO Global Thuringia Inselsberg – Drei Gleichen cordially invites all secondary schools in its geopark area to take part in the ‘Fossil of the Year 2026’ painting competition!
With this competition, we want to introduce pupils to the fascinating world of geodiversity – and show them how exciting our fossil heritage is right on their doorstep.
Who can take part?
All secondary school classes located in the UNESCO Global Geopark Thuringia Inselsberg – Drei Gleichen area are invited to participate.
Whether you attend a grammar school, comprehensive school, secondary school or independent school – be creative and design a picture of your favourite fossil from the Geopark!
What is it all about?
Geodiversity encompasses the diversity of inanimate nature: fossils, rocks, soils and landscapes. It tells stories of millions of years of Earth's history – and it is precisely these stories that you can bring to life artistically.
Draw, paint or design your favourite fossil – perhaps an ammonite from the Drei Gleichen area, a primeval dinosaur from Bromacker or one of the famous trace fossils from Bromacker, such as Tambia spiralis? Show how colourful and vibrant the geological history of our region can be!
Conditions of participation
- The fossil depicted must occur in the Thuringia Inselsberg – Drei Gleichen Geopark.
- Closing date for entries: 31 December 2025
- Send your entry by email to nancy.schroeter@thueringer-geopark.de (keyword ‘painting competition’)
- or by post to:
- e.t.a. Sachverständigenbüro Reyer, Management Office of the UNESCO Global Geopark Thuringia Inselsberg - Drei Gleichen, Nancy Schröter, Haarbergstr. 37, 99097 Erfurt
- Please include the following information: name, class, school and contact details (telephone number or email address of the teacher/school).
- Photos of the winning class may be published for public relations purposes.
What you can win
The winning class can look forward to an exciting surprise trip with our geopark geologist in the geopark – the destination remains a secret for now!
The artist of the winning picture will also receive a special reward.
And: the European ‘Fossil of the Year 2026’ will also be chosen from among all the entries submitted by European geoparks. Maybe the winning picture will come from your school?
We look forward to receiving lots of creative entries from our schools in the Geopark and wish all classes lots of fun researching, drawing and discovering the history of the Earth!