A mother preparing to slice a drop of water into portions for three thirsty children and a person masked against the smog smothering a megacity and craving for clean air, are the two evocative prize winning entries in an international cartoon competition to promote public awareness of environmental threats.
Titled “The Last Drop of Water” by Mr Liu Qiang and “Tomorrow’s Trip” by Ms Zhang Han, the two entries won the Gold Awards in the General Public and Students Group categories in the 2015 International Cartoon Competition on Environmental Protection organized by China’s leading English language newspaper China Daily, China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the All-China Environment Federation (ACEF) and the China Journalist Caricature Society.
The sketches were selected for their hard-hitting depiction of how unchecked natural resource degradation and environmental pollution may lead to a future of extreme water rationing and staying outdoors becoming a health risk.
They were chosen from among 4,000 submissions from 40 countries around the world on the competition theme “Environment and Safety”, focusing on environmental threats such as smog, water pollution and destruction of biodiversity.
“The competition has attracted extensive public participation, reflecting significant social concern over environmental problems. We would like to further promote environmental protection using a platform like the competition. It’s a very unique platform to achieve such a goal,” Mr. Zhang Shigang, Country Coordinator of the UNEP China Office said at the 10th Award Ceremony held on 14 January, 2016 in Beijing.
Over the past 10 years, the annual competition has received over 30,000 submissions from around the world from children, amateurs and famous cartoonists.
