The Water We Want

International Youth Contest and Award "The Water We Want" - 5th Edition (2023-24).

SEE THE EVENT RESULTS HERE

The Water We Want Contest (TWWW - The Water We Want) aims to explore our multifaceted water legacies – natural and cultural, tangible and intangible – from the perspective of young people to build a more sustainable future.

With this contest, running from November 2023 to May 2024, the Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET) seeks to strengthen water sustainability education and awareness-raising efforts by engaging young people as storytellers and narrators of our "liquid" future.

How can we inspire new perceptions of water and new ways to respect nature more? What revolutionary yet small-scale gestures and feasible nature-based solutions can contribute to re-evaluating water heritage and improve the sustainability of all water uses?

This contest aims to empower excellence, strengthen the visibility of educational activities implemented by water museums, and promote them worldwide.

School students and young participants are encouraged to develop innovative and engaging ideas by proposing responsible and forward-looking uses of water.

Any school or teacher interested in participating should:

  • Contact the Museu das Águas Brasileiras (museudaagua@uft.edu.br).
  • Engage students in educational activities focused on water-related issues (freshwater only) and SDGs with the production of original drawings, videos, and other media.
  • By 26 April 2024, submit all entries (original works accompanied by the entry forms) from participating schools and students.

All submitted works must focus on freshwater (excluding saltwater and oceans) and issues related to biodiversity, climate change, and water legacies: natural, cultural, tangible, and intangible heritage.

The contest is open to schools, educational institutions (formal and informal), and civil society organisations worldwide and is limited to the following age groups:
  • students aged 6 to 9
  • students aged 10 to 12
  • students aged 13 to 18
  • students aged 19 to 25 (higher education)

Only submissions within the following categories will be admitted to the contest:

1. Drawings (individual or class compositions)

Open to ages 6 to 9, 10 to 12, and 13 to 18;

2. Videos and other media

Individual or class compositions; this category includes videos, photos, single-page posters, poems, soundscapes, and music, including the reinterpretation of traditional water-related music.

Open to ages 10 to 12, 13 to 18, and 19 to 25.

Contestants must choose only one type of art from the categories listed above.

Participants are encouraged to submit works in the highest resolution possible.

By 26 April 2024, all submissions and works must be sent by email to the Museu das Águas Brasileiras (museudaagua@uft.edu.br), including:

A. Entry Form

B. One submission (only one type of work from the submissions listed above).

The Entry Form also includes the Terms and Conditions for participating in the contest.

Each submission must be sent with a concise title and a brief description (maximum 200 words).

The inclusion of English subtitles in all submitted works (including written and spoken content) is mandatory. Works without English translation will not be considered.

Only one work may be submitted by a single classroom or individual student.

From all the works received, the Museu das Águas Brasileiras will select up to six entries, across age groups and categories. The selected works will be included in the 5th online digital exhibition.

All works selected by participating WAMU-NET members are entitled to receive prizes and special mentions. There will be six awards (one per age group and category).

The six best works will receive a monetary prize of €250 and an Award Certificate signed by the President and Executive Director of the Global Network of Water Museums.

The final winners will be announced in June during a dedicated webinar organised with representatives from UNESCO-IHP, educators, and museums worldwide.

All selected and winning works from previous editions of the TWWW contest are available on the official contest website and can be considered by participating schools, students, and teachers as a source of inspiration for the development and creation of their own works.

For more information, contact the Museu das Águas Brasileiras via email at museudaagua@uft.edu.br or write to thewaterwewant@watermuseums.net.

The Global Network of Water Museums (WAMU-NET) is a "flagship initiative" of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme that aims to raise awareness of our precious water heritage.

The Global Network seeks to find solutions to current water challenges by linking past and present water management practices with sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). WAMU-NET promotes the core values of any inherited water heritage, both natural and cultural, tangible and intangible.

All WAMU-NET members are committed to promoting a new water ethic, reconnecting humanity to water heritage, including its social, cultural, artistic, and spiritual dimensions.

All members are committed to publicising the TWWW contest as an integral part of their educational activities through newsletters and all forms of communication, to foster participation and raise awareness of our inherited water legacies and our most precious life-giving resource.