The winners of the Latin American art contest

Winners of the art contest on protection of the ozone layer in Latin America are celebrated in Panama

Panama City, Panama September 19, 2023 – On the occasion of World Ozone Day (September 16), the Regional Art Competition for Latin America and the Caribbean “El Planeta es Tu Lienzo” held its awards ceremony on September 13. September 2023.

The event, which took place at the Freedom Museum, aimed to celebrate the creativity and talent demonstrated by the nearly 400 contest participants, represented by those who obtained the first places in each category.

In parallel with the ceremony, an exhibition “The Planet is Your Canvas” was designed to highlight the efforts of the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment to protect the ozone layer and prevent climate change. All the winning works were exhibited along with the art developed by two members of the jury, Mariel Guzmán Martínez and Rommel Rosales.

The Regional Art contest had four categories: digital illustration, drawing and painting, photography and video. The evaluation criteria included originality, technique, interpretation of the theme and ability to convey a message through their works. The winners were Danna Paola Torrejón (Mexico) for digital illustration; Noelia Vinueza (Ecuador) for drawing and painting; Rodrigo Rico (Mexico) for photography; and Alejandro de Jesús García Olivera (Cuba) for the video.

The award ceremony was organized by AcciónOzono of UNEP, in collaboration with the National Ozone Unit of Panama, dependent on the Ministry of Health (MINSA). The Master of Ceremonies was Yanelit Ruiz from AcciónOzono.

Johnnie Hurst, Deputy Director General of Environmental Health of MINSA expressed his pleasure at holding the ceremony in Panama. He highlighted that this event helps raise awareness about global efforts to protect the ozone layer, which in turn safeguards human health, biodiversity and the climate of our planet. For his part, Marco Pinzón, Regional Coordinator of the Montreal Protocol for Latin America, delivered a message on behalf of Juan Bello, UNEP Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, and emphasized the importance of art as a means to express our concerns, aspirations and hopes in a world facing unprecedented challenges such as accelerated climate change.

Likewise, Anne-Marie Fenner, OzoneAction Information Officer, applauded the numerous works of art that participated in the competition. She reminded everyone that even though the Montreal Protocol is one of the most successful environmental agreements in history, there is still work to be done until the hole in the ozone layer is fully recovered. Donnalyn Charles, Regional Coordinator of the Montreal Protocol for the Caribbean, and Johnnie Hurst presented the certificates to all the winners, including the two members of the jury.

Finally, the 12-year-old boy awarded in the video category, Alejandro de Jesús García Olivera, from Cuba, stated that the contest has helped him much more in research, in deepening his knowledge and today he raises his voice to the world to Protect the Cape of Ozone.