Environmental Drawing Competition 2020

• To help students develop a sense of respect and care for the natural environment • To empower students to express their thoughts and ideas about the environment they live in. • To raise awareness in schools about the importance of the natural environment and the ways of preserving it. • To enable students to share their thoughts on the values of the UAE, innovation for the future, and a sustainable world. • To help students realise that each individual has a social responsibility to contribute to the protection and preservation of the environment Specific objectives of the 2020 cycle • To instil the idea of a sustainable world, where collective action can make a difference through the topic, “Your Dream World”. • To embrace the power of artistic expression to envision a UAE that leads in sustainable transport, , sustainable consumption of and conservation of resources, renewable energy, reduction of carbon emissions, sustainable built environment and more; ‘Your Vision for UAE 2030’ • To demonstrate AI and technological innovations and harmony with nature in the future global landscape, through ‘Our World 30 years from now’. The Environmental Drawing Competition is one of EEG’s very popular programmes with record numbers registered every year. In 2019, EEG saw a sky-rocketing participation with 566 schools registering. In 2020, however, with the COVID-19 pandemic, this number fell slightly with 406 schools participating. In 2019, EEG was successful in offsetting 1.17 MT of C02 emissions in collaboration with its corporate member – Farnek, the emissions were produced as a result of the physical conduct of the Competition and the Awarding ceremony. The whole programme was conducted via virtual platforms during 2020 thereby eliminating the CO2 production Every year, this Competition is able to instil a sense of belonging, commitment and care in the minds of young students towards environment and Mother Nature. In 2020, EEG was successful in impacting 145,267 students positively through the expression of art. To provide an insight on the growth and impact of the Competition, we have compiled the following participation numbers in terms of registered schools: • 2004: 52 schools • 2010: 140 schools • 2015: 196 schools • 2017: 262 schools • 2018: 384 schools • 2020: 406 schools As an added incentive, EEG also produces an annual table calendar utilising these special drawings and artworks to offer the winning students an appropriate platform of visibility and recognition. The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown imposed by the government and the closure of schools was certainly a big challenge that the competition faced in 2020. It restricted the active participation of schools from the different Emirates in the Competition. In 2021, we would like to: 1. Find partners that can connect us to more government schools in the UAE to promote the Competition among the Arab-speaking youth 2. Invite partners and sponsors on board who are looking to promote environmental campaigns and programmes in the UAE, especially in schools and amongst students 3. Invite professional artists who would like to sponsor and mentor these young and enthusiastic armature artists from across the UAE to judge this Competition. Thereby, instilling a love of art and culture in students 4. Invite NGOs and partners from other countries in the Arab world to roll out the Competition to the students in their respective countries