Children and youngsters in Caerphilly County Borough are being urged to reach for their cameras to snap the beauty of woodlands and celebrate the International Year of the Forest.
Forestry Commission Wales wants children up to the age of 18 to enter a photography competition, with the best entries winning an education visit for all their classmates to a Welsh Government woodland of their school’s choice.
The best entries for each of the two age groups – under 11s and 12 to 18-year-olds – will also receive high street gift vouchers to the value of £100, £75 and £50, and could see their images used in Forestry Commission Wales publications.
The competition is being run by the Woodlands for Learning (WfL) team, which engages with thousands of children every year as part of its ongoing programme of educational, community and recreational events using woodlands as a learning environment.
North Wales Education Manager Ffion Hughes said: “Autumn is a magical time of year in our woodlands and one of the best times to go for a day out.
“We want to capture Welsh woodlands through the eyes of the next generation and hope the competition will inspire children and young people to explore their local woods – taking their cameras with them, of course.”
The topic for the under 11s group is, “Wonderful Welsh Woodlands”, while the theme for the 12 to 18 years group is simply, “Time”.
Posters promoting the competition have been circulated among schools and nurseries throughout Wales, and fliers will also be displayed at Forestry Commission Wales visitor centres and offices.
Entries should be sent to Ffion Hughes by no later than November 18 at ffion.hughes@forestry.gsi.gov.uk with the following details: name, age, address (and email address), school name and location, and where the photograph was taken.