Chevron Australia's FOCUS Environment Photographic and Caption Competition is once again open to all Western Australian school students in Years 4 to 12.

The competition encourages students to be aware of the world around them and to make a commitment to caring for the environment and safeguarding it for the future, and last year more than 900 entries were submitted.

There are three categories (see below) and three age categories:
        Years 4 - 7
        Years 8 - 10
        Years 11 - 12
Each photo entered must be accompanied by a 25-word caption that is taken into consideration during judging.

Chevron are putting $30,000 towards prizes, with first place prize winners receiving $200 for themselves and $1500 for their school, second place prize winners receiving $150 themselves and $1,000 for their schools, and highly commended students will win $50 each.

All entries must be submitted on-line, with upto two entries allowed in each category. The competition closes on Monday, 9th August, 2010.
Note that the competition is restricted to school students from Western Australia only.

The winning photos from last year's competition can be seen on Chevron's website, for each of these three categories:
        People and the Environment
        Nature's Moods
        Plant and Animal Habitats

Last year, my (then 10-year-old) son came first in the "Plant and Animal Habitats" category for Years 4 to 7, with this photo:

explorative spider

photo by Ashley, aged 10

back yard, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 100mm f/2.8 macro @100mm, 1/125 sec, f/11, ISO200