Opportunity to get creative with water in photo story competition

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has called on members of the public to take part in the Citizen Science for Water Photo Story Competition, which is aimed at communicating matters of water action in creative ways.

The South African National Committee (SANC) for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), in collaboration with the DWS, launched the Citizen Science for Water Photo Story Competition in September last year.

SANC members include the DWS, the Water Research Commission (WRC), Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), University of South Africa (UNISA), and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), among others.

The department said the competition seeks to raise awareness on the intertwined relationship between water and the various dimensions of culture, value, education and the natural sciences. Focusing on demonstrating how citizens, communities and education could effectively support the sustainable use and management of water, among others.

“It is also aimed at activating youth involvement in communicating matters of water action in creative ways. As well as contribute to joint actions in the water action agenda, and to demonstrate how citizens, communities and education could effectively support the sustainable use and management of water,” the department said in a statement.

The department also highlighted that the competition targets citizens from all walks of life with a keen interest on water matters, including citizen science organisations, related civil society groups, as well as visual artists and photographers.

Participants are encouraged to explore and submit photo stories aligned with five themes, including Water and Citizen Science; Water and Partnerships; Water and Education; Water and Culture, as well as Water and Communities.

“The competition is open to South African individuals aged 18 and above. Participants should submit a minimum of three photographs that tell a cohesive story on one of the five themes, along with title, overall story of 200 to 500 words, names of the author(s) and photograph location in South Africa,” the department said.

Entries for the competition is open and can be accessed on the UNESCO website https://www.dws.gov.za/Projects/UNESCO/cspi.aspx

The deadline for submission is Wednesday March 26. The winners will be announced in April and receive an award from DWS and SANC-IHP.

“The winning entries will gain visibility through local and international UNESCO IHP platforms, where the top 15 pieces will be featured in an exhibition during the launch of the Photo Story Book in June 2025,” the department said.

The department urged participants to familiarise themselves with the submission rules when entering the competition. Anyone with inquiries or struggling with their submission may direct their queries to ihp50photostory@dws.gov.za.