For three weeks the National Museum of History of Moldova hosted the 5th edition of the Exhibition of Christmas Trees. The exhibition is part of the contest „Ball of Christmas Trees" project - a unique contest of creativity and design targeting young talented students from Republic of Moldova, initiated and supported by Nata Albot and Viorica Nagacevschi, founders of NGO „KLumea".

This year, unlike previous editions, not only art students got engaged in the competition but also consecrated artists. The exhibition organized by „Klumea" team gathered 57 handcrafted art works made using different techniques by students from the Academy of Music, Theatre and Fine Arts, the Technical University of Moldova and experienced artists. They competed in originality and craftsmanship, making their trees of different materials, such as glass, wood, metal, textiles, paper, quail eggs and feathers, decorated with spoons, paintings, musical notes, boots, paint tubes, pillows, thread balls and all kind of toys.

In the exhibition were presented also five threes created by Hospice Angelus, Boarding Girls School from Hâncești, Center for children with autism "Puzzle Kids", National Association "Defeat cystic fibrosis" and Foundation "Good Heart". These trees did not participate in the context.

5467 exhibition visitors had the opportunity to vote for the dearest tree based on the entrance ticket and to participate in a silent auction of exhibited artworks. The auction consisted in writing the amount of money to be donated on a list attached to the tree.

At the exhibition closing, a jury of five members, which included organizers, sponsors and journalists, announced the winners of the three prizes. The most beautiful trees in the competition were announced in the evening of December 11th in an auction event.

The 1st Prize was won by Oxana Turtureanu, student at AMTFA for the tree „Dor de dor" (7000 lei, gifts and a trip to Poland offered by the Cultural Institute „Adam Mickiewicz" of Warsaw). The 2nd Prize was won by Andrei Brânza, student at TUM with the tree „Ciclice" (Cyclic) and Valentin Bostan, student at AMTFA, with the tree „Lacrima unui popor" (Teardrop of nation) (5000 lei and gifts). The 3rd Prize was won by Alexandru Terenti, student at TUM for the tree „West wood" (2000 lei and gifts). The prize "Public Sympathy" went to Ecaterina Căpățină and Vadim Antoni for the tree „Nemurire" (Immortality) with most votes form exhibition visitors (3000 lei and gifts).

Half of the money raised in the auction returned to the tree creators and the other half went to project „Arterapia" initiated by KLumea for decoration of children hospitals' interiors from Chișinău.