On November 18, the winners of the international photography contest “Earth through the eyes of children” were awarded and a photo exhibition opened at the Heydar Aliyev Center.
AZERTAC reports that the event was attended by Anar Alakbarov, the assistant to the president, the vice-president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the founder and head of the IDEA Public Union. Leyla Aliyevadirector of the Baku Media Center Arzu AliyevaThe event was attended by the Director General of ICESCO, Salim bin Muhammad Al-Maliki, and renowned figures from science and culture.
The project was carried out with the support of the public union IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Protection), the COP29 operating company of Azerbaijan and the initiative of the founder of the “Reza Visual Academy” association, the well-known photographer Reza Deghati.
Speaking at the event, Leyla Aliyeva said that this exhibition shows the beauty of our planet and the challenges it faces through the eyes of children. “There is compassion, understanding and sensitivity in his eyes. I believe that each of us has the desire to protect nature. We are born with this feeling, but over time we forget it. This exhibition tells us to stop, breathe deeply, reminds us feel nature and life Children are not only our future, they are also our present.
The initiator of the project, the well-known photographer Reza Deghati, said that the goal of this exhibition is to direct the world’s attention to nature, to love and protect it through the eyes of children. The contest is organized for the second time. “We addressed this topic on the initiative of Ms. Leyla Aliyeva. In a short time, hundreds of children living in different countries of the world joined this initiative. With their photographs, the children once again draw the attention of everyone who loves nature and that it is important to protect it,” added R. Degati. Although he has been dedicated to this art for almost 60 years, he was amazed by the nature photographs taken by young children. “We showed these images to the adults so they could see what the children said. Let’s look at the children’s words. Because they call everyone to love and protect nature. I think everyone will be sensitive to their call,” he said. saying.
Vladanka Andreyeva, UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, who noted that she was delighted to participate in the event, said: “We have gathered here to discuss our commitment to ensuring a healthy planet for young people and babies. IDEA Public’s participation Union and Reza, who is also a friend of the UN I am very happy to be part of this joint effort with.
Leyla Hasanova, COP29 youth climate champion for Azerbaijan, who said she was proud to be one of the members of the competition jury, said: “We call on children, young people and adults to always love nature and avoid polluting. We want leave a green world as a legacy and our children will live better than the one we live in now and we wish them to live in a more sustainable and greener world.
After the speeches, certificates were given to the children who participated in the photography contest.
Next, the participants saw the exhibition organized within the framework of the international photo contest “The Earth through the eyes of children.” The works of the competition winners and other participants were exhibited at the exhibition.
It should be noted that the photography contest among children and adolescents under 18 years of age, which took place from October 11 to November 2, aims to raise awareness about the climate issue, and at the same time, invite young people to share their points. of view on the beauty of nature, pollution and the problems caused by climate change.
A total of 14 candidates were awarded in the contest, which was held under the motto “I love nature, I am afraid of pollution” and to which up to 3,000 photographs were submitted.
In the 10-18 years category, three candidates from the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Malta took first, second and third place respectively. In the same category, five photographers from Bangladesh, Britain, Iran, Ireland and Myanmar received honorary awards for their creative and thought-provoking photographs.
In the category under 10 years old, five finalists from France, Iran, Switzerland and Turkey received special awards for their excellent presentations, and the photographer from Azerbaijan received special awards from the jury, “Reza Visual Academy”, “Degati Agency” and Organizations ” Webistan” in the hosts category.
In addition to Azerbaijan, participants from 50 countries took part in the competition: the United States, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain, China, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Norway and other countries. The photographs submitted by the contest candidates covered topics such as raising awareness about climate change, highlighting solutions to the problem and sharing a sense of responsibility in protecting our planet.
