Historic Environment Scotland recently launched its new Visions of Climate Heritage crowdsourced competition on Wednesday the 8th of October. Visions of Climate Heritage has been developed by HES in partnership with the Heritage Trust Network and the Scottish Council on Archives in response to the climate emergency and has been launched ahead of the COP26 summit which Scotland is hosting in November.
To enter the competition, individuals can submit photographs or artwork showcasing the impact of climate change on Scotland. As part of the competition, HES will crowdsource the images and artwork to tell Scotland’s climate story – past, present and future – through an online exhibition which will harness the power of Scotland’s historic environment and cultural heritage to inspire climate action.
Images can include a historic photo that illustrates a less informed time before we first learned about climate change and began to see its impact; a moment of extreme weather, which is becoming more common in Scotland, and the impact it brings to our homes, streets and natural heritage; or a creative artwork such as a painting or sculpture which showcases a green, low carbon Scotland.
This is a great opportunity for Community Archives and Heritage Groups to showcase aspects of their collections and groups which focus on heritage and sustainability. If you’d like to send your images to the Scottish Council on Archives to be included in our image bank for future promotion, please get in touch by contacting contact@scottisharchives.org.uk.
The competition will close on Tuesday 30 November, with the shortlisted and winning entries forming part of an online exhibition.
The judging panel will include
- Katharine Hayhoe, the internationally renowned climate scientist and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.
- Phil Astley, the City Archivist for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives.
- Beverley Gormley, Programme Manager for the Heritage Trust Network.
- Dr David Mitchell, Director of Conservation for HES.
- A representative from the HistoricScot Youth Forum.
How to enter
You can enter up to five images in this competition. Each image you enter must align to one of the following three themes:
- The Past was a Different Place
- This is an Emergency’
- A Greener Future
Images will automatically be entered into the appropriate prize category.
Your image should be no more than 6MB. Digital images must be provided JPEG, JPG and PNG file format, submitted via the competition entry form. Do not send your artwork or photographs via email or as physical entries; these will not be entered into the competition and will not be returned.
Entrants must be resident in Scotland, England or Wales. Entrants must be individuals, as opposed to a group entry.
You must submit your images by 5pm on Tuesday 30 November, when the competition closes.
Entries for the Young Creative Awards, by those under the age of 18, must be submitted with consent from a parent or guardian. The email address used should be that of the parent or guardian.
The prizes
HES is offering up to £750 worth of prizes on offer in four different categories. Images will be judged on their ability to tell a story, as well as their visual interest, impact and relevance to the historic environment and climate change in Scotland.
Best Photograph
- 1st prize (£250)
- 2nd prize (£100)
- 3rd prize (£50)
Best Artwork (£100)
Best Mobile Photograph (£100)
Young Creative Awards
- 11 and under (£50 vouchers*)
- 12-15 Years (£50 vouchers*)
- 16-17 Years (£50 vouchers*)
*Your choice of vouchers from Etsy, the Ethical Superstore or National Book Tokens.
For further information or to enter the competition, visit the HES website.