One Earth: Unveiling Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity – A National Call for Conservation Through the Lens
To raise awareness and celebrate the wonder of our environment, Dilmah Conservation proudly launches One Earth: Unveiling Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity – a national photography and videography competition open to all Sri Lankans. Whether you’re a professional, a hobbyist, or simply a nature lover with a smartphone, this is your chance to tell nature’s story.
Sri Lanka is home to an extraordinary range of biodiversity. But as climate change and human activities intensify, this rich natural heritage faces growing threats pushing countless species closer to extinction.
Nature speaks if you truly look and listen,
Sometimes in silence – in the quiet disappearance of a species, the return of birdsong to a once-silent forest, or the careful steps of a predator searching shrinking ground. Every sound, every silence, is part of the story of biodiversity under pressure, and resilience. But ‘What we fail to see, we often fail to protect’. That’s why this competition invites you to look closer, not just to admire the beauty of nature, but to feel its fragility, urgency, and worth.
What makes it special?
A single photograph can stir emotion, ignite curiosity, and shift perspectives, but we also know that some moments can’t be captured in stillness alone. That’s why One Earth: Unveiling Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity includes videography submissions, allowing participants to showcase the sights and sounds of the wild – the motion, mood, and melody of life in its truest form.
Through this initiative, we aim to:
- Celebrate Sri Lanka’s biodiversity in all its beauty and complexity
- Highlight the urgent need to protect fragile ecosystems
- Inspire individuals and communities to coexist more mindfully with nature
While you take a step to inspire others and speak up for nature, your work will also be rewarded, with winning entries featured in a national exhibition and receive prizes collectively valued at LKR 3 Million.
Five categories to choose from
1. Life in a Changing World
Capture biodiversity navigating climate change and human pressures. Shine a light on the urgency to protect what remains.
2. Nightlife
Reveal the hidden world of nocturnal species — mysterious, elusive, and often unseen. This category celebrates the life that awakens when we sleep.
3. Hidden Wonders
Focus on rare and threatened species from the IUCN Red List. The more we know, the more we care. Awareness is a step toward action.
4. Biodiversity in Your Backyard
From your garden to your windowsill — nature is all around. This category encourages everyday encounters with urban or domestic biodiversity, proving you don’t need to go far to find wonder.
5. Waterscapes
Dive into the beauty and importance of aquatic life and wetland ecosystems — habitats that support biodiversity and life itself.
6. Video Category – Sights & Sounds of Biodiversity
Submit short videos under any of the above themes. This format allows you to bring to life nature’s voice — in sound, movement, and mood.
7. People’s Choice (Non-submission)
The shortlisted entries will be showcased online for public voting. The most resonant stories — the ones that speak to hearts — will receive special recognition.
Dilmah Conservation has long been committed to protecting Sri Lanka’s rich biodiversity, caring for elephants, butterflies, pollinators, the ecosystems they depend on and more. Through One Earth, we’re opening up that mission to the public, giving everyone a way to connect with nature and share its story in a powerful new way.
Every photo, every sound, and every moment captured could inspire someone to take action, change a habit, or simply pause and care.
So grab your camera, step outside, and let nature tell its story through you.
For more details and submission guidelines: Click here
