To commemorate February 2, World Wetlands Day, we held for the fifth consecutive year our “Nuestros humedales” photography contest. Participants had from December 21, 2017 and until January 21 2018, to submit their pictures. This contest was addressed to residents of the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, Sinaloa and Nayarit, and for the first time the youth category was added (under 17), in addition to the general public and photographers. The main objective of the contest was to promote knowledge and conservation of wetlands, where participants have the opportunity to show us the natural beauty of these places through an image and at the same time become aware of the ecological importance that these ecosystems have for the flora and fauna that inhabit them.

The photographs were divided into two themes, A) landscape and B) Flora and fauna of the wetlands. We had a total of 41 participants and 72 photographs. The results and the award ceremony of the contest were held on February 2, 2018 in the Regional Historical Museum of Ensenada, better known as “La ex carcel”, where a photographic exhibition with 34 photographs from the participants were mounted, which will be in the museum throughout the month of February and March of the current year.

The winning photographs were evaluated by a jury, which is composed of photographers Arturo Ríos, Daniel Meza and Benjamín Pacheco, biologists Claudia Leyva and Laura Martínez Ríos and a graphic designer Ulises Serrano. For each category the first 3 places were obtained, as well as honorable mentions to those photographs that did not win but had a big impact on social networks.

The winners in the general public and photographers category for the landscape theme:

• 1st place: Héctor Fernando Alvarado Díaz with the piece “Sendero a la Luz”.
• 2nd place: Luis Armando Avilés Ruiz with the piece “Pulmón Josefino”.
• 3rd place: Alejandra Ortiz Torres with the piece “Serenidad”.

The winners of the theme of Flora and fauna, same category:

• 1st place: Felipe Otoniel León Ángel with the piece “Espejo de Limosas”.
• 2nd place: Jonathan Natael Vargas Vega with the piece “Depredador a la vista”.
• 3rd place: Aldo Ignacio Romero Arce with the piece “El descanso de los borregones”.

In the Youth category in the landscape theme we have the following results:

• 1st and 2nd place: Amy Montserrat García Islas with two pictures “Despierta” and “El último Llamado” in that order.
• 3rd place: Laura Jesseth Romero Del Real with the piece “Estero Respirando Paz Y Tranquilidad”.

In the Flora and fauna theme, Juvenile category we have the following results:

• 1st and 2nd place: Osmar Joseph Díaz López with two pictures “El zarapito alimentando” and “La garza perchada en Punta Arena”, in that order.
• 3rd place: Laura Jesseth Romero Del Real with the play “Naturaleza Viva”.

Like every year, the photo contest gives us the opportunity to get more people involved in becoming aware of the importance of wetlands, both for us and for the flora and fauna that inhabit them. It has always been a very good experience and more people have joined in this project, which helps us achieve the objectives.

Thanks to all the participants for showing us the natural beauty and the ecological importance of the wetlands of our region. Thanks to Mario Acevedo Andrade and the Regional Historical Museum of Ensenada for the great support during the award ceremony and the space for the photographic exhibition. Thank you very much to the judges because they did the most difficult work, selecting the winners. And thanks to everyone who shared, liked, commented and followed the event closely, and to those who joined us during the awards ceremony.

Because there is still time.