Press release 2020-10-15 at 13:54
Tuesday 20 October 2020 is International Landscape Day. The Ministry of the Environment will organise a photo contest in honour of the day and the Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation will organise guided landscape walks. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the European Landscape Convention.
Photograph landscapes on International Landscape Day 20 October 2020
In honour of International Landscape Day, the Ministry of the Environment is to organise a photo contest, the theme of which is "Landscape Day 2020". Whatever the landscapes in which you spend International Landscape Day on 20 October 2010, photograph the landscapes and take part in the competition!
Achipelago scenary from the Utö island. Photos Riku Lumiaro.
"International Landscape Day covers both landscapes identified as particularly valuable and everyday landscapes, both in rural and urban areas. The jury encourages the versatile photography of landscapes. This will give us an overview of what Finland looked like on International Landscape Day,” says Senior Environmental Adviser Tapio Heikkilä, who will chair the photo competition’s jury.
The jury will evaluate the photos, and the winner will be awarded a €500 gift card to Rajala Pro Shop. A number of other merited images will be rewarded with book awards. The photographs entered in the competition will be displayed at the Ministry of the Environment, possibly at events organised by the ministry and on the competition’s website.
Preparation for International Landscape Day has already begun with the #arkimaisema photography campaign launched on Instagram in September, which celebrates daily landscapes. Take a look at the photos, take part yourself and inspire others to observe landscapes in their everyday life. Also follow the campaign account @arkimaisema.
Take part in a landscape walk
International Landscape Day will also be observed with guided landscape walks organised by the Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation. Walks will be organised throughout Finland from 18 to 21 October 2020, and guides will be landscape experts from the Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation. Some walks will be organised online. For information on landscape walks please see the Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation website.
Photo contest winner to receive award at the Landscape Symposium
The winner of the International Landscape Day photo competition will be presented with an award at the Landscape Symposium organised by the Ministry of the Environment on 4 November 2020. In addition to this, Finland's best landscape project 2020, which will be nominated to compete for the Council of Europe Landscape Award, will be presented with an award at the symposium. The event will also include versatile speeches on topical landscape issues.
International Landscape Day is observed annually at the prompt of the Council of Europe in all the countries that have implemented the European Landscape Convention. The aim of the European Landscape Convention is to design, manage, and protect landscapes. The purpose of International Landscape Day is to highlight that landscapes are an essential part of everyone's cultural heritage, identity, well-being as well as the quality and diversity of our living environment.
This year, International Landscape Day will be observed for the fourth time. Landscape Day will be organised by the Ministry of the Environment and the Finnish Environment Institute. Other organisations taking part in the collaboration include the Finnish Local Heritage Federation, the Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation, the National Board of Antiquities and the Finnish Association of Landscape Industries – Viherympäristöliitto ry. International Landscape Day is part of the European Heritage Days programme.
Inquiries
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Annika Uddström, Researcher, Finnish Environment Institute, tel. +358 295 251 715, firstname.lastname@ymparisto.fi
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Tapio Heikkilä, Senior Environmental Advisor, Ministry of the Environment, tel. +358 295 250 166, firstname.lastname@ym.fi