Bayer and United Nations Environment Programme Launch 19th Annual International Children`s Painting Competition in Elementary and Middle Schools

PITTSBURGH--(Business Wire)--
Bayer Corporation and the United Nations Environment Programme`s Regional Office
for North America (UNEP RONA) today called for entries in the 19th annual
International Children`s Painting Competition (ICPC).

The ICPC is open to 6- to 14-year-olds. Their art is to focus on protecting
Earth`s life forms and natural resources in keeping with the competition`s theme
- Biodiversity: Connecting with Nature.

The artwork can be created using crayons, colored pencils, paints, etc., and
must be submitted on either letter- (8.5 x 11 inch) or legal-sized (8.5 x 14
inch) paper. Entries must be received by UNEP RONA no later than April 15, 2010.
For complete entry rules, visit www.BayerUS.com/MSMS.

Regional winners will be announced on April 30, 2010. First-place winners will
be selected from each of UNEP`s six regions: Africa; Asia and the Pacific;
Europe; Latin America and the Caribbean; North America; and West Asia.

The North American first-prize winner will receive two fully-paid trips. The
first trip will be to Pittsburgh, the host city for World Environment Day on
June 5. While there, the winner will help open the third annual North American
ICPC exhibition. The second trip will be to the 2010 Tunza International
Children`s Conference in Aichi, Japan. Tunza is UNEP`s worldwide youth forum,
which brings students together to discuss environmental issues and share
experiences.

Bayer Corporation`s participation is part of its national award-winning Making
Science Make Sense® program. It advances science literacy through inquiry-based,
hands-on science learning, employee volunteerism and public education.

"Bayer wants to help develop the next generation of scientists and
environmentalists," said Greg Babe, Bayer Corporation President and CEO. "Our
ICPC participation is part of Bayer`s long-standing commitment to science
education, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development."

"Biodiversity is a priority issue for UNEP, particularly since 2010 is the
International Year of Biodiversity," added UNEP RONA Director Amy Fraenkel.
"Human activities worldwide are causing the loss of plant and animal species at
a far higher rate than natural extinction. We`re working with Bayer to educate
young students on how they can help preserve our planet`s biodiversity. The
activities range from planting trees and picking up litter to protecting
endangered species` habitats."

About Bayer Corporation and Making Science Make Sense®

Pittsburgh-based Bayer Corporation 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 (MSMS) is Bayer`s company-wide program to advance
science literacy through hands-on, inquiry-based science education, employee
volunteerism and public education. Currently, 12 Bayer U.S. sites operate local
MSMS programs. They include a corps of more than 1,000 employee volunteers.

About United Nations Environment Programme

Established in 1972 following the United Nation`s Conference on the Human
Environment, UNEP`s provides leadership and encourages environment-oriented
partnerships. It works to inspire, inform and enable nations and peoples to
improve their quality of life without compromising future generations.

The Regional Office for North America (RONA), located in Washington, D.C., is
one of six regional offices for UNEP. RONA`s mission is to foster cooperation on
environmental issues in North America, thereby promoting effective responses to
global environmental challenges. RONA`s strategy to achieve these goals includes
promoting collaboration between UNEP and various sectors of North American
society, facilitating the participation of the region in UNEP-sponsored global
events and activities, developing environmental education initiatives, and
organizing environmental awareness-raising campaigns. For more information,
please visit www.rona.unep.org.

About Bayer and UNEP

Bayer AG is the first company to forge a long-term youth and the environment
partnership with UNEP. The partners first began cooperating in Asia in the
late-1990s. In 2004, Bayer and UNEP signed an agreement to globalize the
partnership that, in August 2007, was extended another three years. The partners
have organized a dozen environmental projects around the world. They include the
TUNZA International Youth and Children`s Conference; regional youth networks;
the Bayer Young Environmental Envoy Program; the Eco-Minds science forum in the
Asia-Pacific; the International Children`s Painting Competition and TUNZA
Magazine. In addition, Bayer Corporation supports UNEP`s World Environment Day
activities in North America.

Further information on the partnership is available on the Internet at:
www.unep.bayer.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current
assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup 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 Bayer`s public reports which are available on the
Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to
update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or
developments.

Bayer Corporation
Bryan Iams, 412-777-5200
E-mail: bryan.iams.b@bayer.com
or
Find more information at www.BayerUS.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009