PHOTO
Dubai: The Emirates Environmental Group’s (EEG) 19th edition of the Environmental Drawing Competition was a huge success, as it recorded the participation of more than 445,441 students from 520 schools from all over the country taking part including schools with special needs.
This unique, one of a kind, nationwide annual Environmental Drawing Competition helps the student community to understand how their decisions and actions affect the environment, to support building knowledge and enhancing the necessary skills required to address complicated environmental issues, as well as envision and come up with practical solutions that can be taken to ensure the health of the planet and the conservation of its resources.
The competition was based on 3 powerful themes: -
- “A Breath of Purity”, was developed for the students in the age bracket “6 to 8 years”.
- “Wheel of Tomorrow”. Was chosen for the students in the age group of “9 to 11 years”.
- “Waste-less Wonders”. Was the topic that was selected for the students between the ages of “12 to 14 years”.
To applaud the winners of this year’s competition, EEG conducted a standalone awarding ceremony on 22.5.24 hosted by the Ismaili Centre, Dubai. The Awarding Ceremony exhibited the amazing artworks of the winning students with strong environmental messages, creating a bright and colourful scene. Each of the marvellous drawings held a unique perception of current environmental challenges and demonstrated hope, which the youth hold for a sustainable future.
Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, EEG Co-Founder and Chairperson warmly welcomed the students, teachers, press and other honorary guests to the Awarding Ceremony. She said “It is with great pleasure that I extend a cordial welcome to all attendees to the 19th Cycle of the Environmental Drawing Competition Awarding Ceremony. I am sincerely delighted to observe the diverse representation of academic institutions from across the nation in our midst, including those dedicated to serving students with special needs. This cycle of the competition has witnessed a unique level of quality of participation, a fact that I am profoundly proud of.”
She further added, “We introduced the Environmental Drawing competition as an annual event. This distinctive programme, weaved through various curricula nationwide, offers a dynamic and creative approach to environmental education through the medium of art. Over the past 19 years, it has empowered countless students to grasp their role in safeguarding the environment.”
She further highlighted that when selecting the topics utmost importance is given to ensure that the students are exposed to the right environmental issues that affect us directly. For Example, highlight the concept of a sustainable city and air quality by reducing the carbon emissions in “A Breath of Purity” which was developed for students in the age bracket “6 to 8 years”. Every year, 6.5 million people die from exposure to indoor and outdoor air pollution, and 9 out of 10 people breathe contaminated outdoor air that exceeds the acceptable levels set by the World Health Organisation guidelines. By framing the discussion around the theme of "A Breath of Purity," the goal is to ignite creativity and imagination in envisioning urban spaces where carbon emissions are minimized, and air quality is pristine.
As for the topic of “Wheel of Tomorrow”. The Chairperson shared that “we prompted young artists from 9 – 11 years to depict the harmony between modern transportation and the natural world, emphasising the need for cleaner choices. Despite the consistency in the usage of green energy, over 90% of the fuel used for transportation still is petroleum-based. Every vehicle that is on the road releases an average of one pound of CO2 per every mile driven. If we look at the statistics, they show us that taking public transportation instead of a personal vehicle reduces CO2 emissions by 45%, decreasing pollutants in the atmosphere and improving air quality. Additionally, it’s estimated that through the use of public transit systems in the country, around 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide are saved on an annual basis”.
Continuing on the important of moulding the future generation to be environmental stewards, the depth and complexity of topics are taken into consideration when selecting and allocation them. The oldest and last group of students in the age category of 12 – 14 years were given the topic of “Waste-less Wonders”
In conclusion, Mrs. Habiba expressed her gratitude to the commitment of the supporting entities as well; including the Emirates Schools Establishment who played an active role in circulating the invitation and encouraging schools from all over the UAE to participate, the Ismaili Centre for providing the venue support for several years now. The supporting entity Warner Bros Discovery’s Cartoon Network, and Delmonte who provided hampers that contained a variety of products, in addition to a number of
She added “ This season, we have increased the impact of our competition by partnering with Cartoon Network to broaden its reach. Through our collaboration with Warner Bros Discovery’s Cartoon Network, specifically through their Climate Champions program, we selected our finalists to represent EEG in their Drawing competition. I want to express my sincere thanks to Warner Bros Discovery’s Cartoon Network for their invaluable support and their commitment to fostering environmental awareness among children through their programming.”
The judging of the competition was conducted by a panel of professional artists representing academia, art galleries, and exhibition centers.
- Dr. Najat Makki, Visual Artist
- Ms. Bahia Shehab, Developing Student Skills Senior Specialist Department of Counselling and Future Skills, Emirates Schools Establishment
- Mr. Mahfuz Rahman - is a full-time corporate, hands-on in creating art that inspires other artists.
- Mrs. Nahida Beshara, Fine Art teacher, Dubai International Art Center
The winners of EEG’s Environmental Drawing Competition 2023 were:
| Category | School Category | Position | Schools | Name of Student |
| A Breath of Purity 6 – 8 YEARS | Regular Schools | Winner | Zayed Educational Complex - Al Bidiya | Muhammad Saeed Salem Khamis Al-Hamoudi |
| 1st Runner Up | Gems Millennium School Sharjah | Onish Yadav | ||
| 2nd Runner Up | Leaders Private School, Sharjah | Aishwarya Sathish | ||
| People of Determination | Winner | Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination Al Ain Autism Center | Abdullah Faisal Al Balushi | |
| 1st Runner Up | Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination Al Sila’a Center for Care and Rehabilitation | Dana Salem Al Mansouri | ||
| 2nd Runner Up | AL Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities | laiba Abid | ||
| Wheel of Tomorrow 9-11 YEARS | Regular Schools | Winner | Ambassador School Sharjah | Shrimadh Sreeraj |
| 1st Runner Up | Leaders Private School, Sharjah | A. Camilo Joshua | ||
| 2nd Runner Up (Tie) | Bint Al Shaate School | Maitha Salem Juma Hamad Al-Alili | ||
| People of Determination | Winner | AL Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities | Amelia Zalfa | |
| 1ST Runner Up | AL Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities | Neysha Ismail | ||
| 2nd Runner Up | AL Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities | Srishti Sarkaar | ||
| Waste-less Wonders 12– 14 YEARS | Regular Schools | Winner | Our Own English High School, Girls, Sharjah | Shaziyah Kunnathuparambu Rafeeque |
| 1ST Runner Up | Ambassador School Sharjah | Alina Khatoon Bozai | ||
| 2nd Runner Up | Pearl Wisdom School Dubai | Devang Sajesh | ||
| People of Determination | Winner | AL Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities | Ehan Mohammad | |
| 1ST Runner Up | Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination Al Ain Autism Center | Mahra Ali Al Kathiri | ||
| 2nd Runner Up | AL Noor Training Centre for Persons with Disabilities | Sai Tarun |
EEG is an accredited NGO of the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and also a member of the United Nations Global Compact, ensures that when designing and executing its programmes to directly tackle several UN SDG Goals. This particular competition tackled goals; #3: Good Health and Well-Being, #4: Quality Education, #6: Clean water and sanitation, #7: Affordable and Clean Energy, #8: Economic growth, #9: Innovation and infrastructure, #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, #12, Responsible Consumption and Production, #13: Climate Action, #15: Life on Land and #17: Partnerships for the Goals.
-Ends-
About Emirates Environmental Group (EEG)
Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) is a professional working group established in 1991 in the United Arab Emirates. It is devoted to protecting the environment through the means of education, action programmes and community involvement. EEG is actively encouraged and supported by concerned local and federal government agencies. It is the first environmental NGO in the world to be ISO 14001 certified and the only organisation of its kind in the UAE with accredited status to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). EEG is a member of the UN Global Compact, the Global Urban Development (GUD) and the Global Investors for Sustainable Alliance (GISD). It is also a member of the One Planet Network under the programme of Sustainable Food Systems (SFS) and its Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Committee (MAC) and Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML), EEG is a full Member (voting) of World Packaging Organisation (WPO).
For more information, contact us: email: eeg@emirates.net.ae; Tel: 04-3448622; Fax: 04-3448677 and please visit our bi-lingual website: www.eeg-uae.org; Follow us on LinkedIn, FB; Twitter & Instagram: @eegemirates.
