Competitions to mark World Wetlands Day

The Department of wildlife Conservation (DWC) and Ministry of Education and Central Environmental Authority in collaboration had organized island wide competitions to mark World Wetlands Day scheduled on February 2, 2025. 

The primary objective of this competition is to raise awareness about the critical role of wetlands in promoting environmental sustainability and biodiversity, particularly among schoolchildren.
The world wetland day themed “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future" would be celebrated both globally and in Sri Lanka. The competitions aim to instill a positive attitude toward wetland conservation among the general public as wetlands face severe threats.
The Competitions comprises of Photography Contests – Themed “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future. Within the category the most talented photograph and the most popular photograph in Facebook would be selected.The contestants could contest under -Professional Camera Photography (Open category), Digitally Modified Photography (Open category) Mobile Phone Photography (School students)
 Participants can submit photographs of any wetland relevant to the theme. Photos must be sent via email to wetlandday2025@gmail.com along with the participant’s name, address, and contact number. Any Sri Lankan citizen would be able to contest under open category, while School student’s entries would be divided into three groups based on grade levels such as Grades 6-8, Grades 9-11and Grades 12-13
The Best Photograph would be Selected by a professional judging panel while the Most Popular Photograph: 13 photos from each category will be shortlisted and displayed on the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s Facebook page. The photograph receiving the highest number of likes will win the title of “Most Popular Photograph.”
Meanwhile a Quiz Competition would also be conducted through Wijeya Newspapers for four weeks. The quiz will focus on wetlands-related topics and would be open to school students. The Winners will be selected by Wijeya Newspapers.
Apart from that an e poster competition would also be held where contestants are required to create an E poster using a maximum of 100 words and 5 photos related to the theme. The completion would be open to all. According to DWC 13 selected e-posters will be displayed on the Department Instagram page. The poster receiving the highest number of likes will win the title of “Most Popular E-Poster.”
The DWC would also carry out a Research Abstract Submission (3-Minute Drill) for University students currently pursuing undergraduate studies in state or private universities in Sri Lanka including final-year students awaiting results. The Abstracts must focus on wetland-related research, include only three slides (PowerPoint) while Presentations should be 3 minutes long and recorded via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. The Videos should show the presenter’s face in a side panel alongside the slides.The Files must be named as: “WD research ( name)” and should not include details about the institution or researcher. Submissions can be made in Sinhala, Tamil, or English.Submission Platform:Research presentations must be uploaded via the online portal on the Department of Wildlife Conservation’s website. 
-All participants must submit their entries using the provided application form. School submissions must include a certification from the principal or vice-principal verifying the student’s enrollment.Participants are limited to submitting one entry per competition. All creations must be original and not previously submitted or awarded in other competitions. Submissions must be sent to wetlandday2025@gmail.com by January 7, 2025, with the competition name as the email subject.
For more details could be obtained via www.dwc.gov.lk, www.cea.lk websites and by calling DWC via number 011-2888585.