KUALA LUMPUR: Spending about five hours a day after school perfecting his anti-smoking colour pencil drawing had paid off for Setor Zi Cheng who won a poster drawing competition to mark the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD).
The 10-year-old from SJKC Shang Wu in Penang said he joined the competition as he could not stand the smell of cigarettes and the sight of people puffing away.
"I want to send a strong message that people should not smoke. That is why I emphasised on the words `Tak Nak!' on the drawing.
"I want to show that instead of smoking, perhaps people can engage in other leisure activities. For instance, I like playing football, cycling, playing chess or having quality time with the family like going for a picnic outing.
"It can also be strolling at places I like to go to when I am in Kuala Lumpur like the Petronas Twin Towers or learning the history of the Sultan Abdul Samad building," said the boy, who won the primary school category, bagging himself a cash prize of RM750.
In his drawing, Setor also paid tribute to medical frontliners whom he portrayed via a pair of hands with gloves holding a heart shaped symbol bearing the words Sayangi Diri.
The poster drawing competition was organised by Medical Association (MMA) in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the National Cancer Society, and the Lung Cancer Network Malaysia.
It attracted 9,597 participants, mostly students from both primary and secondary schools.
WNTD is observed annually on May 31 to raise public awareness about the dangers of tobacco use to health and to reduce the risk of disease and death.
This year's WNTD theme is "Tobacco: Threat To The Environment and Future Generations".