The presentation ceremony of the "Eco Picture Diary 2014" international competition was held in Ganja.

The national stage of the "Eco Picture Diary 2014" international competition, held among schoolchildren in Azerbaijan, has been launched. On September 9, an event was held in Ganja to announce the competition.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan has participated in this competition since 2013 at the initiative of Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and founder of the IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) Public Union. Local schoolchildren participate in the competition under the auspices of UNESCO, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Center, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and Panasonic Marketing CIS (PMCIS).

The main goal of the project is to promote ecological culture among the younger generation, to form a more careful and caring attitude toward the environment, to foster an active civic position in protecting nature and human health, and to involve children in activities aimed at solving ecological problems.

The competition covers the cities of Baku and Ganja. A total of 5,000 special "Eco Diaries" will be distributed to students by teachers on September 15–16.

Students representing lower (ages 6–11) and middle (ages 12–15) age groups of general education schools can participate in the competition. Participants must draw pictures related to ecology in the "Eco Diary," divided into three days, and briefly describe the idea of each drawing in text. The "Eco Diaries" must be submitted by September 25.

Detailed information about the project is available on the official website of the IDEA Public Union. For questions about the competition, you can contact (012) 497-63-16 on weekdays from 09:30 to 18:30.

The submitted "Eco Diaries" will be evaluated by a jury consisting of representatives from IDEA, the Heydar Aliyev Center, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, UNESCO, Panasonic Marketing CIS, mass media, and NGOs.

Twenty participants (10 from each age group) who qualify for the final stage will be awarded. One finalist will be declared the national winner, and their "Eco Diary" will be sent to the international jury of the project. The best "Eco Diaries" will be selected from among the national winners of all countries.

It should be recalled that last year, 3,032 schoolchildren participated in the national stage of the competition.

Fuad Soltanov, an 11-year-old student of Baku European Lyceum, was chosen as the national winner.

The international "Eco Picture Diary" competition has been held for six years and now covers more than 50 countries.