The Emirates Environmental Group celebrates the winners of the Environmental Drawing Competition

(Dubai): The Emirates Environmental Group’s (EEG) 17th edition of theEnvironmental Drawing Competition was a huge success, as it recorded the highest participation in this competition since the inception of the programme with more than 144,680 students from480 schoolstaking part including schools with special needs.

This unique, one of a kind, nation-wide annual Environmental Drawing Competition helped students understand how their decisions and actions affect the environment, build knowledge and skills necessary to address complex environmental issues, as well as ponder on how actions can be taken to keep our environment healthy and sustainable.

The competition was based on three powerful themes, that were curated to encompass several UN SDGs. The topic “Marine Life in the Arabian Gulf”was developed for the students in the age bracket “6 to 8 years” whichhelped raised the awareness and engagement of the youth to curb the use of unnecessary and unsustainable products, with emphasis on the precious oceans and marine life.

As UNEP celebrated 50 years since its foundation and in 2021 UAE also celebrated 50 years since its establishment, EEG asked the students in the age group of “9 to 11 years” to look back and see how human way of life has affected the health of the ecosystem, the flora and fauna under the theme“Nature – Looking Back 50 Years”.

The oldest age group of “12 to 14 years”were told to show through creative art how their sustainable lifestyle can contribute to combat climate change in the topic “Combating Climate Change - Your Contributions”.

To applaud the winners of this year’s competition EEG conducted a standalone awarding ceremony for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, on May 12 at the Ismaili Centre, Dubai.The Awarding Ceremony exhibitedthe amazing winning entries 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.

Welcoming the students, teachers, press and other honorary guests, Mrs. Habiba Al Mar’ashi, EEG Co-Founder and Chairperson highlighted “One thing we have learned in our 30+ year history is that when young people are empowered and given the tools and support to be aware about what they see as environmental needs around them, they are creative and become more engaged, and they take action in ways that are meaningful to them.”

She further added “Environmental Drawing Competition is a learning programme that empowers young people to make the world a better place for the environment, for people, for animals, for plants and all other living creatures. Starting from home, they develop identities and become positive change-makers with a sense of urgency and real-world experience to lead, collaborate and innovate to meet both local and global challenges facing our world.”

Mrs. Habiba expressed her gratitude towards the commitment of the supporting entities as well;that includedthe Emirates Schools Establishment who played a very active role in circulating the invitation and encouraging schools from all over the UAE to participate, the Ismaili Centre for providing the venue support. The winning students received gifts, courtesy of Unilever, Dabur, NFPC and the jury panel received vouchers from Four Point by Sheraton Sheikh Zayed Road and Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Dubai.

The judging of the competition was conducted by a panel of professional artists representing academia, art galleries and exhibition centres.

The winners of EEG’s Environmental Drawing Competition 2022 were:

Category School Category Position Schools Name of Student Marine Life in the Arabian Gulf Regular Schools Winner Child CenterKhorfakkan Branch Khaled Ahmed Youssef Al-Naqbi

1st Runner Up Al Ittihad Private School, Al Mamzar Elianna Al Sadi

2nd Runner Up Delhi Private School Sharjah KeshavardhanParthiban

Special Needs Winner GEMS Legacy School (SOD) Angela Theresa Binu

1st Runner Up Al Noor Training Centre for Person with Disabilities SrishtiSarkar

2nd Runner Up Al Noor Training Centre for Person with Disabilities Neysha

Nature – Looking Back 50 Years Regular Schools Winner Emirates Education Foundation Al-Abraq School Class 1 MeerahMuhammed Mubarak

1st Runner Up Asia Bint Muzahim School for Basic Education Cycle 2/3 Malak Ahmed Khamis

2nd Runner Up Primus Private School Dubai Hridya Dinesh

Special Needs Winner Emirates Autism Center

Abdul Rahman Muhammad Hanin

1nd Runner Up Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination Alsila Center ReemAyman

2nd Runner Up Sultan bin Zayed Emirates Foundation for School Education Saif Ali Hassan

Combating Climate Change - Your Contributions Regular Schools Winner Al-Hijrah School for Basic Education Cycle 2 Al-Hanouf Muhammad Yusuf

1nd Runner Up JSS Private School Dubai SwarajJawali

2nd Runner Up United Basic and Secondary Education HadirWalid Al-Haddad

Special Needs Winner Al-Mawaheb Secondary School Dabia Ibrahim

1nd Runner Up Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination AlsilaCenter Ibrahim Abdullah

2nd Runner Up Al-Mawaheb Secondary School ShammaKhalifa Muhammad

In EEG’s continuous effort to minimise the environmental impact of its activities, 3.5 metric tonnes of C02 emissions produced as a result of this competition were offset, by making a sustainable contribution to voluntary climate protection, in collaboration with EEG’s devoted corporate member, Farnek. 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.Therefore it conducted this important programmes to directly tackle several UN SDG Goals; #3: Good Health and Well-Being, #4: Quality Education, #5: Gender Equality, #7: Affordable and Clean Energy, #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities , #13: Climate Action, #14: Life Below Water and #15: Life on Land.