Sunny Island Children’s Drawing Contest Gets Underway

Moscow, Russia, September 29, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The contest consists of several stages organized simultaneously for two groups of youngsters aged 6-8 and 9-12, respectively. In order to take part, entrants should register between September 26 and November 18 at the website of the contest, complete an entry form and upload onto the website their drawing of a sunny island depicting images such as the sea, sun, bread, grapes, oranges, olive trees, history and culture, myths and legends, people, arts and crafts, the Mediterranean, and Cyprus.

The prizes include a holiday to Cyprus for two, Apple iPads, professional art kits, photo albums, and graphics tablets. Each week a drawing kit will be awarded for the best 10 entries. In December a special prize draw will be held for all entrants: as well as prizes, the winners will be invited to dine with the Cypriot Ambassador to Russia at his residence in Moscow.

The contest comprises 8 selection stages, and the sooner the drawings are posted on the site, the better chance an entrant has of going through to the final. Every week an online vote on the contest website will be held to decide the interim results, with the entries receiving the greatest number of votes winning a place in the semifinal. Of these, the best 10 drawings will then be decided by visitors to the site. First and second place will be determined by a panel of judges, while third, fourth and fifth place in each age category will be decided by online voting.

The panel of judges includes Uniastrum Bank President Gagik Zakaryan, Banki.ru CVO Yelena Ishcheeva, as well as the celebrities Dmitri Dibrov, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Boris Grachevsky, and Tatiana Vedeneeva.

“Sunny Island is a contest for kids aged 6-12 who love drawing. And it’s also a way of getting youngsters in Russia to discover more about Cyprus, its history, and the history of the Mediterranean in general,” notes Margarita Gerasimova, Uniastrum’s Vice President for Marketing. “We’re kicking off the competition in the fall when the days become colder and darker so that the entrants can immerse themselves in the warm, bright, joyful world of the south in summer, dream about the sea, the sun, and exotic lands.”

CB Uniastrum Bank LLC was established in 1994. Uniastrum is a universal lending institution offering a comprehensive range of financial products and services, with particular focus given to the retail sector and small and medium-sized business. Uniastrum is one of Russia’s Top-30 systemically important banks, as ranked by the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, and places among the country’s Top-20 banks based on the size of its branch network. It is Russia’s 48th largest bank by asset size, 37th by loan portfolio value, 31st by total retail loans, and 11th by overall SME credits, according to figures released by RosBusinessConsulting news agency. Uniastrum’s financial statement for January 1, 2011 showed the Bank’s equity capital standing at Rb 9 bn. Moody’s Investors Service affirmed Uniastrum’s long-term credit rating at Ba3 with a stable outlook, while Moody’s Interfax Rating Agency affirmed its national scale rating at Aa3.ru. Uniastrum is a deposit insurance scheme participant. The Bank’s regional network currently numbers more than 200 offices (including 43 branches) in 48 Russian regions. Since October 31, 2008 Uniastrum Bank has been a member of the Bank of Cyprus Group.

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