Environmental Competition exhibition open to the public in the Cultural Foundation

The exhibition is open to the public and is being held in Al Nakheel Hall in the Cultural Foundation - Abu Dhabi Cultural and Heritage Authority until May 2, 2007.

The competition, which was launched on October 14th of last year to coincide with Arab Environment Day, was opened to students of Government and Private schools within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This Competition is sponsored by Shell Abu Dhabi and is organized in coordination with the UAE Ministry of Education.

The theme for this year's competition is 'Deserts and Desertification', while the slogan: 'Don't Desert the Dry Lands' emphasizes the importance of protecting drylands, which cover more than 40% of the planet's land area.

About 132 government and private schools from Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Western Region Educational Zones participated in the competition and total number of entries submitted reached 931, as schools ran an inter-school competition and then submitted the best three entries, from each category, to EAD.

Kindergarten students submitted around 110 drawings under the theme the 'Beautiful Desert', while primary schools submitted 350 paintings under the theme 'Life in the Desert', while upper primary schools submitted 158 short stories on the 'Desert through the eyes of plants and animals'. Intermediate schools submitted 54 3D-models made of recycled material. They were asked to create a model on 'Combating Desertification'. Secondary schools submitted 30 beautifully designed posters carrying an environmental message that they wanted to pass to the public on 'Endangered Desert'. Moreover, high schools students submitted 22 research papers, which were a result of their assessment on the extent of public awareness about 'Abu Dhabi's desert and its problems'.

An independent panel of judges oversaw the competition and they included experts from Abu Dhabi Cultural and Heritage Authority Abu Dhabi Educational Zone, Abu Dhabi Municipality, Emirates Heritage Club, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO), Abu Dhabi Fertilizer Industries Co and Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi.

The first three positions in each category will be awarded prizes in an award ceremony that will be held in the Cultural Foundation on April 30, 2007.