LOS BAÑOS, Laguna: The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) is in search of images that show agricultural technologies and practices that help abate climate change and promote less pressure on natural resources for its 17th annual photo contest.
SEARCA director Dr. Glenn Gregorio noted that for its 17th year, the center is zooming in with the theme "Regenerating agri-ecosystems, lowering global boiling," in its effort to highlight technologies and practices in agriculture that help mitigate worsening effects of climate change.
Gregorio mentioned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when the latter alerted the public on July 21, 2023 saying "we are past the era of global warming and we are now experiencing global boiling."
He also said that Guterres, who cited the hotter-than-usual July compared to the temperatures throughout the century, coined "global boiling" to plead for critical actions to reverse the trend.
The contest is open to Filipinos and nationals of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam for both professional and amateur photographers.
Gregorio said they may submit unlimited photo entries as long as the photo contest specifications are met.
All in United States dollars, he said there will be cash prizes awaiting the winners which are $1,000 for the first prize, $800 for the second prize and $500 for the third prize.
There will also be special awards such as the SEARCA Director's Choice and the Philippine Department of Education Secretary's Choice winners who will each get $500.
Meanwhile, the People's Choice Award winner through Facebook voting will receive $400.
According to SEARCA, images could be farming technologies that promote recycling or reusing by-products and farm wastes and those with low carbon footprint. Pictures could also be practices that save water, improve soil health, reduce postharvest losses, or use of renewable energy, among others.
SEARCA said photo submissions should ideally showcase farmers and farming families, researchers, inventors, and even students and the youth using technologies and practices in the field, or images that could be part of agricultural production or experimentation across the broad spectrum of crop cultivation, livestock and animal husbandry, or fishery.
It added that photo submissions should be original, have not been digitally altered or enhanced, have not won in any past photo competition, or have not been published elsewhere (print or electronic).
All entries must be submitted via the SEARCA Photo Contest website until Nov. 30, 2023. For more information, the center invites interested photographers to visit https://photocontest.searca.org.
