The four winners of the 2021 Blue Campaign Photographic Competition, organised by Din l-Art Ħelwa and supported by Bank of Valletta, have been announced.

These are David Agius, who won with his photo Death For No Purpose; Mario Micallef, who presented the entry Entangled Mass; Lee Jellyman, who went underwater for his winning shot Cruising the Tunnel; and Victor Micallef, who captured the Mediterranean Fan Worm.

The annual competition is organised as part of the ongoing Blue Campaign, which raises awareness about the importance of safeguarding the beauty and state of the waters surrounding the Maltese islands.

This year’s edition consisted of two categories. Category A related to photos of sea pollution and any negative impact caused by human activity on the local marine environment, while Cate­gory B consisted of photos of underwater life around Malta and Gozo. The first and second place winners of both categories received cash prizes.

“Through these photos we are conveying one strong message, that we are not doing enough to safeguard the marine environment for future generations,” Alex Torpiano, executive president of Din l-Art Ħelwa, said.

“Choosing the best photos wasn’t easy at all, and for this we would like thank all the participants and Bank of Valletta for making this year’s Blue Campaign a more particular one.”

Stanley Farrugia Randon, council member at Din l-Art Ħelwa, commented: “This annual competition continues to encourage us to work even harder as we always receive very positive feedback and good content from participants.

“We are pleased to note that year on year, this educational initiative continues to attract the interest of several people, such as members from diving schools, photography enthusiasts and those who have the environment at heart.”

Charles Azzopardi, head of CSR and communication at Bank of Valletta, explained how supporting this competition perfectly aligned to the bank’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) programme in fulfilling the ‘Life Below Water’ sustainable deve­lopment goal (SDG).

“Through the implementation of an ESG vision, we are aiming to fulfil certain UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by not only safeguarding the environment, but also educating the local community. While we continue to back the hard work done by Din l-Art Ħelwa, we hope that these snapshots serve as a good lesson for all the community,” he said.