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Cash Prizes Offered for Inspirational Photographs

Washington, DC “The arts touch the soul and heal our spirits,” Walter Cronkite once said in a speech at the Kennedy Center. Seeking to visualize feelings of wholeness, of beauty, and of community that arise when an environmental ideal is attained, the second annual photography contest is being launched by the North American Association for Environmental Education in connection with its annual conference. Entry forms and rules can be found on the NAAEE Web site at www.naaee.org/conference.

NAAEE seeks photos that will inspire people to achieve environmental excellence. Entries may reflect anything that connects to the environment. The winning photos will show how the visual arts can create a kinesthetic and emotional connection to the Earth. The photography contest is one element of a larger effort by NAAEE to re-invigorate the use of arts and culture in the EE field.

In partnership with the Albert I. Pierce Foundation, the contest is held in conjunction with the upcoming NAAEE Annual Conference in Wichita, Kansas on October 15-18, 2008. The top six photos will be displayed in the conference Exhibit Hall for three days. A first, second, and third place winner in the Advanced category, and the first place winner in the Amateur category, will receive cash prizes. Second and third place winners in the Amateur category will receive ribbons.

NAAEE is the professional association for environmental education. Its members promote professional excellence in nonformal organizations, K-12 classrooms, universities (for both instructors and students), government agencies, and corporate settings throughout North America and in over 55 other countries. Since 1971, the Association has created opportunities for its members to improve their skills in creating and delivering programs and services that teach people how to think, not what to think.

The Albert I. Pierce Foundation, www.aipfoundation.org, is the primary grant sponsor of this project. The Foundation focuses on the environment and the arts by offering opportunities for professional development, communication, and partnership. 

“Our mission is to encourage and nurture skills, talents, and services necessary to ensure that our communities continue to be desirable places to live and work,” said Deb Thrall, the Foundation’s executive director. “In our inaugural year of grant-making, we are very pleased to partner with NAAEE to facilitate NAAEE’s goal to contribute to societal change through a deeper connection to critical thinking, creative solutions, and communication attained through artistic experiences.”

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Go to 2008 Photo Contest Rules

Go to 2008 Photo Contest Application