Entries are now being accepted for the 2nd Annual Celebrate Earth Day Poetry Contest, and the inaugural Earth Day youth photography contest.
Following last year’s success, organizer Joe Robinsmith is looking forward to seeing what entries in this year’s contest brings.
“I was excited by the quantity and quality of last year’s entries,” says Robinsmith. “We had entries from several published authors in the adult category.” All the poems submitted in the 2013 contest were compiled and published in a book format through Createspace and are now available at Black Bond Books and through Amazon.
This year, Earth Day celebrates the Haney Farmers Market’s 10th Anniversary and poems should highlight the 2014 event theme - “Food for Thought.”
Poems can be submitted to joe.robinsmith@live.ca. Categories include elementary, secondary and adult (ages 19 and older). Deadline is midnight on April 5. Winners will be invited to read their poems at the Celebrate Earth Day opening ceremonies on Saturday April 26 at 11 a.m. at Memorial Peace Park.
New to the roster this year is a photography contest organized by Ross Davies of the Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society and his daughter Sarah, a member of the District 42 Student Advisory Committee (DSAC).
“We wanted an activity that was specifically for youth,” Davies explains. “And personally, I will do almost anything to make folks notice and pay attention to nature.”
There are three contest categories: Food, Scenic & Wildlife. Entries can be posted to the Celebrate Earth Day in Maple Ridge Facebook page and will be judged by the number of “Likes” they receive. The photography contest is open from March 1 – April 19. Winners will be announced on April 26.
• More information on the Celebrate Earth Day in Maple Ridge Facebook page and at www.rmrecycling.org.