2021 RD Walshe Memorial Writing for the Environment Competition

A new year. A new opportunity to protect biodiversity.

There are no promises that 2021 will be better than the year it replaced.  But it can be.

With so much that needs fixing around the world – economically, socially and environmentally – one challenge is where to start.

The Sutherland Shire Environment Centre’s national Writing for the Environment competition provides a place to start. The competition invites writers – or those who want to write – to submit a short script for a play on one of the many pressing issues of our time: loss of biodiversity.

Biodiversity loss at local and global levels is not being stopped, or even slowed down. No government anywhere has managed to cease the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems.

Biodiversity and healthy ecosystems are not just nice things to have – like an extra pair of socks on a bushwalk. They are critical for the continued production of clean air, clean water and healthy soils. These natural ‘services’ keep us alive. Yet, governments everywhere have squandered species for the sake of economic growth. This is baffling because the very loss of species and biodiversity will bring exceptional costs as well as death.

A report by the World Economic Forum notes that the WWF’s Living Planet Index 2018 says that nature underpins all economic activity, and it is presently worth an estimated US$125 trillion. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/10/this-is-why-putting-a-price-on-the-value-of-nature-could-help-the-environment/

SSEC’s 2021 annual competition recognises the role of writing in bringing about change.  Writing offers a chance to reflect on the problems and their causes, as well as on the solutions and their causes. Final pieces can be shared and read widely. A good piece of writing can shift minds and hearts; it can move hands. The intention of this year’s competition is to attract quality writing that can help in the struggle to protect species and ecosystems.

There are three age categories for the competition, including, for the first time, an 0ver 65 age category. Scripts must be for a 10min play; they must be original, creative, powerful and based on the topic of biodiversity. The closing date is 22 May, which is International Day for Biological Diversity. There are prizes for winners and runners-up. Winners will be announced on the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre website in late July.

More information on the competition, links to relevant articles, and details for submission can be found here:  https://www.ssec.org.au/grants-and-awards/rd-walshe-memorial-writing-for-the-environment-prize/

If you have any questions, please contact Phil Smith at phil@ssec.org.au