In a ceremony at the Freshwater Center (FWC) on 19 April 2023, winners of the Environmental Photo Competition 2023 were publicly honored. After a short introduction to this year’s competition, the team leader of the GIZ SPACES project, Michael Trockenbrodt, congratulated the winners and handed over their awards.  

The winner of the first prize, Ochbileg Khurts, received a gift card equivalent to MNT 1,500,000 for his photo Free-roaming Horses in the category Beauty of Nature, taken in the Tuv Province. The runners-up, Adiya Dorj, Ochirvaani Soronzonbold, and Uuganbayar Ganbold obtained gift cards equivalent to MNT 500,000 each for their photos Snow in May in the category Effects of Climate Change, taken in the Umnugovi Province,  Secretive Manuul in the category Beauty of Nature, taken in the Khustain Nuruu National Park, and Nature Being Destroyed in the category Environmental Degradation, taken in a place unknown.

The SPACES project organized the photo competition on environmental issues in Mongolia as part of the My Green Mongolia (MGM) campaign. Almost 100 photos from all over the country entered the contest. An evaluation team carefully analyzed the images according to their technical and artistic quality,  expression, and meaning in line with concerns related to the beauty of nature, environment degradation, the effects of climate change, and environmental protection.

The best photos from the competition will be arranged in a mobile photo environmental photo exhibition at the FWC and possibly continue at other public locations in Mongolia. This will foster public interest towards environmental protection, and raise awareness on how human interventions are contributing to the degradation of natural resources as well as how human conservation efforts can help protect the environment.

On the occasion of the award winning ceremony, the FWC invited high school students and young people interested to pursue environment studies as well as  newly graduated university students looking for a job with environmental organizations.