Contestants attend an introduction session.
DOHA: Young filmmakers from 19 schools in Qatar will be competing in the first Junior Environmental Filmmaker Awards contest, sponsored by the ConocoPhillips Global Water Sustainability Centre (GWSC).
Teams made up of three to four students, grades 7 to 9, and one teacher, will produce a short film on water sustainability in Qatar, highlighting the importance of water and raising awareness about water conservation.
Dr Samer Adham, Managing Director of GWSC, said: “It is with great pleasure that we are launching this competition. We hope it will spark the student’s creativity and interest in the importance of water conservation and that through their creativity and imagination we can generate even more interest in water conservation across all of Qatar.”
Afaf Mahmoud Jaber, a teacher at Al Wakra Independent Girls Elementary School said she and her students have already learned a great deal about the importance of water conservation from visiting the GWSC.
“During our visit to the GWSC, we learned the many ways water is being wasted and started to realise small things we can all do to save water. We feel it is our duty to conserve water for the next generations in our beloved Qatar and we are looking forward to creating a video to help the cause,” she said.
John Sherwood, a teacher at Qatar Academy (QA), said his students were excited about the opportunity to participate in the competition. “An essential part of our school culture is caring about each other and about the community we live in. Students in QA are encouraged to use their creativity in community outreach and we are planning to show the video in our school to raise awareness about the importance of water conservation in Qatar.”
ConocoPhillips President, Gary Sykes said: “We are launching the competition this year involving all the schools that have already visited GWSC, with the aim of taking it national in its second round. We look forward to receiving all students’ entries and further building on the success GWSC has been achieving in its water conservation and awareness outreach efforts.”
The top three films will be screened at an awards ceremony with each member of the winning teams receiving a special gift and their respective schools a trophy. The winning videos will also be featured at the 2014 Environment Fair.
The Peninsula
