Society

Photography contest launched to promote protected natural areas.

President of Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group speaking to the press

An international photography competition aimed at encouraging the promotion of protected natural areas in Cameroon and others has been launched.
The contest, dubbed Wiki Loves Earth, which is taking place simultanousely in other countries, was launched in Cameroon last Saturday June 1 and will run till June 30, 2024.

The contest, which is in its fifth edition in Cameroon, is being organised locally by the Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group.

The competition was launched through a press conference chaired by the President of Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group, Alexandra Tchiuleu in the presence of the Project Coordinator, Vanessa Manessong and Mbe Laudry as project facilitator.

Speaking during the event, the Wikimedians of Cameroon president said “the 2024 edition of this competition organized in Cameroon, starts from this Saturday June 1, aims at valourising the protected areas in Cameroon”.

She explained that participation in the contest is open to all profiles of persons be they professional photographers, amateurs, or Wikimedians volunteers.

“The competition is also an opportunity to raise awareness of nature and biodiversity, and to remind people of the issues involved in preserving them,” she added.

A wide range of natural sites in the country like national parks, botanical zoos, national reserves, amongst others, can be photographed and entered in the competition.

Members of Wikimedians of Cameroon User Group during press briefing

Photographs for the contest can be submitted via the website https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Earth_2024_in_Cameroon.

According to the project coordinator, by the end of the competition, a local jury made up of professional photographers and an expert in environmental issues will be constituted selected the winners.

Manessong noted that the photos will be judged based on criteria such as the technical quality of the shot, originality of the approach, the artistic value as well as the descriptive and educational value.

Three of the best photos chosen by the judges will be awarded cash prizes of 150,000 FCFA, 100,000 FCFA and 75,000FCFA in order of merit.

Also, the ten best ranked photos from Cameroon will be submitted to an international jury to choose the best photos from across the continent of Africa.

This story first published in The Guardian Post issue No3131 of Tuesday June 04, 2024