TEHRAN -- Iran has opened 
registration for the 33rd Iranian Youth Visual Art Festival, whose theme, “Let Us Not Muddy the Water,” is drawn from a poem by acclaimed Iranian poet Sohrab Sepehri.
Registration for the festival, titled “Āb Rā Gel Nakonim” in Persian transliteration, runs from Sept. 5 to Oct. 20, 2026, through the festival’s official website, yafestival.ir.
The festival is open to young participants born between March 21, 2001, and March 20, 2009, with works accepted in illustration, calligraphy, new media art, drawing, graphic design, photography, caricature, sculpture, painting, miniature painting and ceramic art.
Following registration, submitted works will undergo an initial selection based on images uploaded through the festival system. Those selected will then take part in the festival’s workshop stage in Kermanshah, where specialized workshops will be held over three days under the guidance of leading visual-arts instructors.
The festival’s final judging will follow the workshops, with winners subsequently honored at the closing ceremony. Selected works will also be presented in an exhibition.
The five-day festival is scheduled to take place in Kermanshah from Nov. 14 to 18, with around 200 young participants and more than 30 visual-arts instructors expected to attend.
In each discipline, one winner will receive the festival medal, a certificate of honor and 400 million rials, while two commendations will each receive a