KEPS organizes Kuwait Wildlife Photo Competition

Entries to be accepted until Jan 31, 2013

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 24: The Wildlife Committee under Kuwait Environmental Protection Society (KEPS) is holding the 8th Kuwait Wildlife Photo Competition, the entries for which can be submitted till Jan 31, 2013.

Manaf Behbehani, the Chairman of the committee, was talking to the Arab Times Monday. Seven such competitions have been organized in the last 20 years, the chairman noted, “with an aim to encourage professional and amateur photographers, both Kuwaitis and expatriates, to shoot and document the desert and marine wildlife of Kuwait.”

The top four entries will win cash prizes of KD 500, KD 400, KD 300 and KD 200, in the order of their ranking, in addition to consolation certificates for others whose photos make it to the exhibition that will be held following the competition in one of the popular malls in Kuwait.

Each participant can submit a maximum of 5 entries for the competition; however, there is no upper limit for the number of entries for the exhibition.

The judging committee comprises 2 wildlife photographers and 2 wildlife experts, one in fauna and the other in flora. The committee will also choose the photos that will get exhibited.

Photos have to be submitted at the KEPS headquarters in Shuwaikh in the form of 30x40 printouts, mounted on 40x50 boards, along with softcopies on a flash drive. More details may be obtained by calling 24848256. The theme is limited to wildlife in Kuwait. Photos of animals or organisms shot outside Kuwait will be disqualified.

The deadline for submission is Jan 31, 2013, 9 pm.

Behbehani said the competition entertains both microscopic and macroscopic organisms, including insects. The Wildlife Committee will be interested in rare species of animals, birds, insects or microorganisms, which are not commonly sighted or never seen before in Kuwait. “It could even be a rare bug or a beetle, fish, corals, or even everyday animals like a camel shot with a high level of aesthetics. We look for rarity and beauty.”

Subjects

Further Behbehani said that the subjects in the photos will have to be depicted in relation to their environment, “like a camel munching on some plant.”

Asked if the previous competitions have helped in discovering any new species of wildlife, Behbehani said birdwatchers have contributed the richest information of unknown facts on wildlife. Photos of birds captured by birdwatchers have enlightened KEPS on many species of migratory birds in Kuwait.

Behbehani said that during the second Gulf war many native birds of Iraq had migrated to Kuwait because of the unpleasant environment and pollution resulting from the bombardments. Wildlife photos shot during that time documented a variety of birds unsighted in Kuwait before that.

Arab Times had recently reported on the disappearance of a species of butterfly, Painted Lady, in Kuwait owing to the destruction of a plant called Malva from rapid urbanization.

Such competitions will help in documenting the biodiversity of Kuwait, and is also an occasion for the public to be part of the environmental conservation drive. As the competition lays stress on the habitats of animals, the entries are expected to throw light on the level of destruction of the natural environment in Kuwait.

The photos will be carefully analyzed by the experts and new insights into wildlife will be carefully documented for further study, Behbehani noted. The Wildlife Committee will have the right to use the photos as it wishes, while the winning photos will be the exclusive copyright of the committee.