‘Selfie for Biodiversity’ photo contest launched

MANILA, Philippines - An online photo contest dubbed “Protecting the Reservoir of Life, Selfie for Biodiversity” was launched recently by the DENR- Biodiversity Management Bureau (formerly PAWB) as part of this year’s celebration of International Day for Biological Diversity (IDBD) on May 22.

The contest, which is being held in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, hopes to help spread further awareness on the importance of protecting and conserving what is left of the country’s once rich biodiversity – but in a rather fun way: by encouraging Filipinos to take a “selfie” or a picture of one’s self and explaining how anyone can help in protecting that particular biodiversity photographed.

The photo contest is open to all selfie-loving individuals residing in the Philippines, male or female, aged at least 13 and above.

To join, participants must first like the “Selfie for Biodiversity” Facebook Fanpage (https://www.facebook.com/selfiebiodiversity) then submit their entries together with a duly filled up registration form.

 Photos can either highlight the beauty and uniqueness of the country’s biodiversity, or show activities that can contribute to the protection of our biological diversity.

There will be two categories: Entries taken using mobile devices or tablets; and higher-resolution entries, at least 300 dpi, taken using a digital camera. The subject for both categories is Philippine biodiversity.

All entries must capture the true essence of biodiversity, explain its importance and show how one can help conserve the country’s natural habitats.

All entries should also show the person (either in part or in full) who is taking the photograph. Participants can enter as many as three entries, but can only win once.

The grand prize winner in the digital camera (high-res) category will earn an all-expense paid trip for two to Palawan complete with an eco-tour of key biodiversity and protected areas in the island. Grand prize winner in the mobile phone category, on the other hand, gets a chance to enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Mt. Pulag plus an eco-tour of the area.

The other winners will bring home a Canon digital SLR camera, a Lenovo tablet and other surprise techno gadgets as prizes.

Biodiversity, which is derived from the words “bio” (life) and “diverse” (variety), means “variety of life.” More specifically, it is defined as “the variety of plants and animals, and the ecosystems or natural areas where these are found.”

These include our country’s unique plants and/or animals, whether on land, in fresh water, or in the ocean, or special places such as wildlife habitats, protected areas, our lakes, rivers and/or caves, or our islands and marine areas.

Deadline for submission of entries is on Thursday, May 15, 5 p.m. 

Employees of GIZ and BMB, as well as their relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity, are disqualified to join the contest.

For details, check out https://www.facebook.com/selfiebiodiversity or the GIZ Philippines and the Pacific Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GIZPhilippines).

Interested parties can also send an email to [email protected].

For a complete listing of PAs and other key biodiversity areas in the Philippines, visit the BMB website at http://www.bmb.gov.ph.