The first round of national stage of the international contest Eco Picture Diary 2013, held in Azerbaijan for the first time by IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) campaign, under the auspice of UNESCO and with the support of Heydar Aliyev Center and Panasonic Marketing (PMCIS), ended on 15 November.

Around 5,000 schoolchildren from secondary schools of Baku and Ganja aged 6-11 and 12-15 years took part in the contest, according to the press office service of IDEA. The participants submitted eco diaries, prepared specially for the contest, with pictures and short text under to explain the idea of them .

The eco diaries are being studied at the moment by a pre-determined panel of judges by the  representatives of IDEA campaign, Heydar Aliyev Center, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of  Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, UNESCO, PMCIS, experts in the field of environment who will select one national winner out of 20 finalists.

The winner will be announced on 1 December, 2013.

It should be mentioned that, "Eco Picture Diary 2013" aims to promote ecological culture among younger generation and care for flora and fauna. The project also serves to form an active civil stance on environmental and health care protection.