IFSA International Day of Forest: Essay & Photography Competition

Every year, the International Day of Forests (IDF) is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of forests and encourage countries to undertake local, national, and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.

This year, IDF will be celebrated on the 21 of March 2023 with the theme “Forests and Health”. Forests play a vital role not only in our health, but also in natural processes such as carbon sequestration, sustaining livelihoods, air, and water purification, and improvement of our well-being. 

To commemorate this event, IFSA is organizing an essay and photography competition to provide IFSA members with the platform to express their passion for forests and raise awareness of their importance. The competition is being done in collaboration with IUFRO and EFI. 

Participants

An active member of local IFSA committees worldwide [proven attachment of membership verification letter/verified on IFSA website]

Criteria

Essay

  • Content (40%)
    • Relevance to the IDF 2023 Theme (20%)
    • Relevance to IFSA (20%)
  • Organization (20%)
  • Vocabulary and language (20%)
  • Mechanics (20%)

Photography

  • Concept (20%)
    • Relevance to the IDF 2023 Theme (10%)
    • Relevance to IFSA (10%)
  • Visual appeal (40%)
    • Image quality (20%) 
    • Use of basic photography concepts (20%)
  • Uniqueness and creativity (20%)
  • Impact (20%)

Mechanics

Essay

  • Theme: “Healthy forests, healthy life” 
  • Individual IFSA members can participate
  • Entries should be in English, written in 1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman, 12, with a maximum of 800 words, and submitted through .pdf format

Photography

  • Theme: “Healthy forests, healthy life” 
  • Individual IFSA members can participate
  • Participants may use various types of digital cameras
  • Allowed digital processing: Minor editing (contrast, cropping, levels, curves, noise reduction/dust removal).
  • Participants can submit a maximum of 2 photos but only one can win the prizes
  • The time range for taking photos is from 12 March to 1 April 2023
  • Photos are the work of the participants themselves and have never won a similar competition
  • The competition registration is free of charge
  • The decision of the jury is final and cannot be contested
  • There will be 3 best photos that will be determined by the jury and the most favorite photos
  • The committee has the right to use the photos that have been collected to convey conservation messages by including the name of the owner.

Registration & Submissions

Essay

  • Must follow @ifsadotnet account on any official IFSA international social media account.
  • Register to: bit.ly/ifsa-idf-essay

Photography

  • Registered participants must upload their submissions on their own Instagram accounts after registering on the form 
  • Must follow and tag photos to the @ifsadotnet account
  • 1 feed contains 1 caption and 1 photo
  • It is mandatory to create an IG feed story with a tag for the @ifsadotnet account
  • Caption must contain
    • Description of the picture & relevance to theme/IFSA
    • Source of information/bibliography used (if any)
    • Hashtag : #IDF2023 #ifsadotnet
  • Registration forms: bit.ly/ifsa-idf-photography

Prizes

Essay

  • 1st Place: 200 Euros for any IFSA-related purchase (including but not limited to IFSA event registration fee discount, LC-related purchase) + Included in IFSA Newsletter

Photography

  • 1st Place: 200 euros for any IFSA-related purchase (including but not limited to IFSA event registration fee discount, LC-related purchase) 
  • 2nd Place: 100 Euros for any IFSA-related purchase (including but not limited to IFSA event registration fee discount, LC-related purchase) 
  • 3rd Place: 50 Euros for any IFSA-related purchase (including but not limited to IFSA event registration fee discount, LC-related purchase) 
  • People Favourite (based on likes): Shared on IFSA platforms

Note: Prizes can only be claimed through reimbursement

Registration is from the 12th of March to the 1st of April 2023 at 23:59 UTC+0. 

Winners will be announced on the 1st of April 2023.