WASHINGTON, DC. - April 22, 2009 - Alice Fuzi Wang, a sixth-grader at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, Calif., was named first-prize winner of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) 18th annual International Children's Painting Competition (ICPC) within North America for her painting that depicts alternative energy solutions to combat global warming.

Juliette Chen, a ninth-grader from Churchill Junior High School in East Brunswick, N.J., took second prize, while Tiffany Liu, a third-grader from Jensen Ranch Elementary School in Castro Valley, Calif., garnered the top award in the "Best of 6-9" category.

The three students won for artworks they created that address the theme of this year's painting competition, "Climate Change: Our Challenge." They were selected from more than 800 students who live within UNEP's North American region, which includes the United States and Canada.

The ICPC, a signature event of UNEP's World Environment Day celebrations held annually on June 5, is sponsored globally by Bayer AG and regionally in North America by Bayer Corporation. Bayer also is a sponsor of World Environment Day.

At the U.S. Botanic Garden on Earth Day, Bayer Corporation representatives joined officials from UNEP's Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) to present Wang with her first-place award, including a $1,000 cash prize and an all-expense-paid trip for her and a chaperone to UNEP’s Tunza International Children’s Conference to be held in Daejeon, South Korea, August 17-21. While there, she will compete against first place winners from UNEP’s six global regions for the top ICPC global prize.

In describing her painting of a thermometer and three hands, Wang said, "The thermometer stands for the Earth and its rising temperature. The hands represent the fighting between efforts of all countries to save the world using different forms of energy, such as solar and wind, and global warming contributors which include pollution, deforestation and old cars."

ICPC Exhibition to Open in U.S. on World Environment Day
In North America, more than 75 artworks, including the winning entries, will be on display at the Bayer-sponsored 2009 ICPC Exhibition, scheduled to open at Omaha Children's Museum on World Environment Day on June 5.

In addition, Wang and second-prize winner Chen will be on hand in Omaha, Neb., to attend the opening of the ICPC Exhibition and participate in the Bayer-sponsored World Environment Day youth program at Omaha Children's Museum.

The program will include the ICPC Exhibition, a special awards ceremony for ICPC entrants in North America and Omaha, and an interactive environmental workshop for Omaha students led by Dr. Mae C. Jemison. Former director of the Jemison Institute of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College and founder of an international science camp The Earth We Share, Jemison is a scientist, educator and the nation's first African-American female astronaut.

"At Bayer, two of our key corporate social responsibility goals are to help today's students become science literate and more environmentally aware. Art is a powerful tool that, by harnessing children's creativity, can help us accomplish both goals," said Greg Babe, President and CEO of Bayer Corporation. "Through our partnership with the UNEP, we're able to reach students who may not be inclined to study science, encourage them to learn more about environmental issues and then provide them with an opportunity to communicate what they've learned in pictures that are 'worth a thousand words.'"

"There are many ways for today's children to learn about the environment and the world they will be inheriting sooner rather than later. Our partnership with Bayer Corporation in North America is helping us to create a global community of young environmental stewards who will take what they learn and begin using it in very concrete ways," said Amy Fraenkel, Director of UNEP's Regional Office for North America.

"Omaha Children's Museum is honored to host this exhibition and be involved in the events surrounding World Environment Day," said Lindy Hoyer, Omaha Children's Museum executive director. "This exhibit brings to the forefront children's creativity and will certainly inspire environmental awareness for children and adults alike. Children can begin to develop a sense of social responsibility at a very young age and the museum fosters this through programs and exhibits that encourage children to be active, educated and responsible."

Established in 1990, the ICPC invites elementary and middle school students ages six to 14 to learn about the environment and express that knowledge creatively through art. Regional winners are selected from UNEP's six regions including North America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, West Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe. They are announced on Earth Day in April, while global winners will be named during the Tunza International Children's Conference in August.

In North America, Bayer Corporation's partnership with UNEP RONA is bringing ICPC to communities across the U.S. where Bayer, through its Making Science Make Sense(R) program, has partnerships with local school districts.

The paintings are reviewed by a panel of judges. This year, Wyland, the Laguna Beach based seascape artist and muralist, headed up the judging panel for the North American competition.

About World Environment Day
World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates world-wide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. With thousands of events in the six UNEP regions, World Environment Day is considered the largest environmental event of its kind. Both Bayer AG and Bayer Corporation are global and regional sponsors, respectively, of World Environment Day.

About Bayer Corporation and Making Science Make Sense(R)
Bayer Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is a subsidiary of Bayer AG, an international health care, nutrition and high-tech materials group based in Leverkusen, Germany. In North America, Bayer had 2008 net sales of approximately 8 billion euros (about $12 billion) and employed 17,000 at year end. Bayer's three subgroups, Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience, improve people's lives through a broad range of essential products that help diagnose, prevent and treat diseases; protect crops and enhance yields; and advance automobile safety and durability. For more information, go to www.bayerus.com.

Making Science Make Sense(R) (MSMS) is Bayer's company-wide initiative that advances science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science education, employee volunteerism and a public education campaign. Currently, 12 Bayer sites around the country operate local MSMS programs, which together represent a national volunteer corps of more than 1,000 employees.

About United Nations Environment Programme
Established in 1972 following the United Nation's Conference on the Human Environment, UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

About Bayer and UNEP
Bayer AG is the first company in the world to forge a long-term partnership with UNEP in the area of youth and environment. The partners first began cooperating on youth environmental projects in Asia in the late 1990s. In 2004, Bayer and UNEP signed a framework agreement to globalize this partnership that, in August 2007, was extended by another three years. The partners have jointly organized a dozen environmental projects for young people around the world, including the TUNZA International Youth and Children's Conference, regional youth networks, the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program, the science forum in Asia-Pacific Eco-Minds, the International Children's Painting Competition and the TUNZA Magazine. In addition, Bayer Corporation in the United States supports UNEP’s World Environment Day activities in North America.

Further information on the partnership between UNEP and Bayer is available on the Internet at: www.unep.bayer.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in our annual and interim reports filed with the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2015, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 46.3 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.3billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

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