2009 National Coastal Awareness School Competition

This nationwide competition draws on the ideas of our nation's children to bring about change.

We're asking: "What would you ask Bahamian citizens and residents to do to help protect our coastal environment?"

The Competition is divided into two categories:

• Primary School Competition: The Primary School Competition is open to students of grades 3-6. Competitors will design bumper stickers that have the power to make a real difference.


• Secondary School Competition: The Secondary School competition is open to students of grades 7-12. Competitors will come up with actions that have the power to make a real difference. The winning action will be a simple action that anyone can do. The competitor must also describe how their chosen action can bring about change and develop a product to show how to get the entire Bahamas involved.

Read the complete competition guidelines and download entry forms. The entry deadline is May 15, 2009.

The competition is open to all youth. You can participate as a student or as a member of a community group or club. The group with the largest number of entries in a particular category will receive a group prize. Your actions can make a big difference!

The 2009 National Coastal Awareness Month is organized by The Bahamas National Coastal Awareness Committee (NCAC), Working Towards the Achievement of National Sustainable Tourism Development of Coastal Communities.

The Bahamas National Coastal Awareness Committee (NCAC) is made up of a group of stakeholders from the private and public sectors including representation from:
1. College of The Bahamas
2. Club Peace & Plenty
3. Department of Environmental Health Service
4. Department of Marine Resources
5. Dolphin Encounters Ltd.
6. Ministry of Tourism & Aviation
7. Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports & Culture
8. Stuart Cove Dive Ltd.
9. The Bahamas Broadcasting Corporation (ZNS)
10. The Bahamas Hotel Association (BHA)
11. The Bahamas National Trust (BNT)
12. The Nature Conservancy
13. The Bahamas Environment Science & Technology Commission (BEST)
14. The Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF); and with support from Majestic Tours and other private and public sector contributors.

The overall aim of the committee is to bring national attention to the challenges of Sustainable Tourism Development of Coastal Communities and to assist with relevant solutions.

The Prime Minister of the The Bahamas, Hubert A. Ingraham, has proclaimed APRIL as Coastal Awareness Month in The Bahamas

During Coastal Awareness Month, the NCAC promotes activities to emphasise the fact that protecting our coastline is an important national issue. Over the past four years, these have included:
• National Church Service
• Television programmes
• Radio and Newspaper Advertisements
• National T-Shirt Day
• Marine Exhibition
• National Coastal Awareness School Art Competition
• Beach Restoration Projects
• Educational field trips for children and the youth of our nation.

NCAC has received a British Environmental Honour – the Green Apple Award for its activities.