GREEN CROSS INTERNATIONAL
AND GREEN CROSS ITALY

in collaboration with

FAO, UNESCO
Red Cross International

in the frame of the initiatives that are being carried out for the

EARTH CHARTER

supported by the EARTH COUNCIL and GREEN CROSS INTERNATIONAL

LAUNCHES

the FIRST international edition of the Annual Contest

IMAGES FOR THE EARTH

For the school year 1997-1998

Reserved for all the pupils of primary, secondary and high schools, private and public, for the school year 1997-1998.
This initiative gives the teachers the chance to plan educational multidisciplinary paths to deepen the environmental issues provided by the ministerial programs. This edition's theme is:

WATER FOR ALL

1. CLASSES AND SECTIONS OF THE CONTEST
Three classes have been established for the contest:
1. primary school pupils;
2. secondary school pupils;
3. high school pupils.

2. CONTEST ADMISION
All the pupils of private or public schools, of every order and grade, may take part in the respective age group of the contest with an individual or a group work.

3. PARTICIPATION MODALITIES
Youth, under the guidance of their teachers, are asked to narrate the theme of the contest with drawings (or for the older youth with the optional media described below):
Drawings - Youth should communicate their story through drawings, using any technique or material (preferably natural and/or recycled products however). They may use up to 5 plates with maximum dimensions of 50x70 cm each. Captions are allowed.
14 through 18 years old youth will have the option to also submit the media described below:
Comic-strip - Older youth may elect to use techniques typical of comic-strip story telling. Number and size of plate restrictions remains the same as for drawings.
Photographs - A story using photographs must not have more than 10 photos, 15 x 18 cm maximum size. Color or b/w both acceptable. Explanatory captions are allowed.
Multi-media - The duration of the film must be between 5 and 15 minutes. A copy of the cassette must be sent in VHS format. CD or computer software will be considered.

IMPORTANT: The following information must be attached to the entered work to facilitate the identification of the candidate: family-name and first-name; year of birth; home address and telephone number; class level; name of school; school address and telephone number; name of teachers involved and teaching subjects; few personal data; very limited text of didactic explanation; if work is a group activity, details about the group should be mentioned.

4. PRESENTATION DEADLINES
The first three winners of each national category must be sent to the following address:

Green Cross Italy
"Images for the Earth" Contest
Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 251 - 00186 Roma

The final deadline for forwarding works is fixed on June, 30, 1998.
Works delivered after June 30, 1998 will not be considered.

5. EXAMINATION OF THE WORKS THAT REACHED US
Works received shall be examined first by a national Jury made up of judges chosen and announced for this purpose by the local Green Cross National Organization. The three 1st prize winning works per age grouping from each national contest will be submitted to the international evaluation process where selection will be made by an institution-jury to be selected and announced by Green Cross International with the assistance of the Honorary Committee in advance. The decision by the named "jury" shall be final in all cases. Each jury will select 3 winners per age grouping, i.e. 1st place, 2nd place and 3rd place. Thus 9 works will get recognition as prize winners in each national contest and 9 works as well for the international contests.
All works will be examined by a commissions made of experts chosen by Green Cross Italy. The examining Commissions' decisions are unquestionable.

6. NATIONAL PRIZING
The national prize shall be decided and announced by the participating Green Cross national organization in advance. Ideally, the top three entries of each age grouping shall be awarded a cash prize which should be allocated to projects focusing on environmental problems affecting their own region and be tied-up with the annual theme of the competition, e.g. Fresh Water in 1997/98. A tree should be planted in the school yard of the winners to act as a living symbol of success in the competition.
The national award ceremony shall take place on 5 June 1998, Environment Day, and be open to the public. In addition to the prize, each winner shall be awarded a certificate.
The national prize ceremonies and national prizes are organized by the national Green Crosses.

7. INTERNATIONAL PRIZING
For each of the 3 age groupings, the international cash prize per ranking of the work will be as follows: 1st prize - $ 5,000; 2nd prize - $ 3,000; 3rd prize - $ 2,000. It is stipulated that the cash award must be used by the winners for an environment / sustainable development project that relates to the theme of the competition. Winners are encouraged to invest their winnings in a project in a developing country.
The international award ceremony shall take place in September 1998. All information concerning the participation to the ceremony will be communicated to the interested persons.
A certificate will be assigned to each winner. Green Cross takes ownership of all submitted work and no chosen or rejected work will be returned.
In case of use, concerned persons will be previously informed.

8. THEME

The contest has both a general background Earth Charter environment and sustainable development theme and a focused water theme in 1997/98. The general background Earth Charter theme is well described in the benchmark draft version and in greater detail on the Internet web sites of Green Cross International and the Earth Council. The focused water theme is described in the 1997 UNESCO + WMO 22 page pamphlet titled "The World's Water ... is there enough ?" In the Foreword Messrs. Mayor and Obasi state:
"The availability of fresh water is one of the great issues facing humankind today -- in some ways the greatest, because problems associated with a lack of water or the pollution of water bodies will affect virtually everyone on the planet. The regions of the world that face shortages continue to grow in area and number. The concern is that, while the rising population demands more water, this finite resource must also satisfy the needs of every other form of life. The result could be a series of local and regional disasters and confrontations leading to a crisis of global proportions. Indeed, issues concerning the fresh waters of the world highlight the dilemma facing humankind. Can competition between the environment and development be transformed into a partnership between the two, so that the goal of sustainable development is attained?"
Water is the essence of life. Most of the human body indeed consists of water. It is no coincidence that civilizations grew along waterways and coastlines and that the control of water supplies has been a contributor to conflict and even war. We have to keep in mind that water is a renewable but limited natural resource. Although water covers 70% of our planet's surface 97.5% of the earth's water is saltwater and only 2.5% is freshwater (and only 0.8% is usable). The unbalanced distribution of water resources and wasteful consumption practices have heightened the critical nature of freshwater availability. The use of outdated technologies in the distribution network often cause the loss of a high percentage. The inefficient use of water in agriculture, industry and at home has led to a bad situation: millions of humans have no access to this basic element (with all the consequences this brings in terms of hygiene, farming, nutrition, economic development, quality of life and the very survival of human beings).