Deadline: 17-Nov-2024

In celebration of World Soil Day (WSD) 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), and the Global Soil Partnership (GSP) are launching a scientific children’s booklet contest under the theme: “Caring for Soils: Measure, Manage, Monitor.”

This contest provides participants with an opportunity to explain the significance of soil data and information for sustainable soil management, fostering a sense of responsibility, and inspiring children to understand the critical role soil plays for our planet.

Themes

• Innovative soil data collection: demonstrate how technologies like remote sensing, machine learning, drones, and soil sensors are revolutionizing the way they collect and analyze soil data, enabling more accurate and immediate understanding of soil health.
• Soil data in sustainable soil management: Show how soil data and information can guide decisions that support sustainable soil management, ecosystem protection, and food security. Explain how accurate soil data helps farmers, policymakers, and practitioners implement practices that preserve soil health and combat climate change.
• Collaboration through data sharing: Help children understand ethical issues related to soil data, including ownership, usage, and the need to ensure that soil data benefits everyone, especially vulnerable populations and smallholder farmers.
• Fair and ethical data use: Help young readers understand ethical considerations related to soil data, such as ownership, usage, and the need to ensure that soil data benefits everyone, especially vulnerable populations and smallholder farmers.
• Soil data in everyday life: Illustrate how soil data and information influence everyday life by ensuring healthy soils, food production, clean water, and resilient environments and why/how science can protect soil for future generations.
• Local and global action: Inspire children to engage in soil protection efforts, both locally and globally. Encourage them to think about how they can contribute to soil health in their communities and be part of larger movements advocating for global soil conservation.

Funding Information

• 1st Prize: USD 1000
• 2nd Prize: USD 500
• 3rd Prize: USD 250

Eligibility Criteria

• The contest is open to anyone interested in the important role of comparable and reliable soil data and information. This includes soil scientists, researchers, professors, teachers, classrooms, individual students, soil practitioners, designers, photographers or experts from any professional background, and NGOs.

Judging Criteria

• The IUSS and FAO’s GSP Selection Committee will evaluate submissions based on:
  • Creativity and originality
  • Quality of informational content
  • Technical and scientific accuracy
  • Artistic and visual impact

Application Requirements

• Language: Submissions must be in English, in either color or black and white, and should incorporate an interdisciplinary approach.
• Content: All booklets must include the theme “Caring for Soils: measure, manage, monitor”.
• Format: Booklets must be submitted in PDF format with images in high resolution (minimum 600 dpi). Ensure the PDF is editable, as some booklets may be translated into other languages.
• Length: Booklets should be 12 to 16 pages long, including a cover page, introduction, content (freestyle), and back cover.
• Paper size: A4 paper in portrait, with a word count of 2 000-2 500 words for the entire booklet.
• Visuals: Participants are encouraged to use short scientific texts, facts with references, and images or illustrations (hand-drawn or designed) to communicate the importance of Soil Data and Information to young readers.
• Originality: The booklet must be the original work of the participant(s) and unpublished material.
• Anonymity: To ensure anonymity during the evaluation process, participants must not include their name or institutional affiliation on the booklet. A registration number will be assigned upon submission.

For more information, visit FAO.