MARE, the Audiovisual Competition for the Conservation of the Balearic Sea, invites photographers to portray its beauty and promote its protection.
Balearic Islands, 27 April 2022
Through images, MARE helps us to get to know the underwater life and landscapes that surround the Balearic archipelago to promote its conservation. Competition rules and entry forms are now available on the MARE website (www.marebalear.org).
MARE 2022 runs from 15 May to 15 September
Now in its third year, the rules for MARE 2022 are based on the three cross-cutting values of the competition: the beauty and wealth we still have in our sea, the need to reconnect with it, and the urgency of promoting actions for the conservation and recovery of the marine and coastal environment.
The 2022 call for entries opens on 15 May. Until 15 September, participants can submit up to 20 digital photographs related to the Balearic and the Mediterranean Sea that capture their richness and beauty, as well as the human relationship with the seas, whether they are complaints or success stories. Each photograph should be accompanied by a conservation-related message.
The competition serves to build a collective appreciation of the Balearic and the Mediterranean Sea and to give more recognition to the photographers who connect the public with them. MARE has established four participation profiles: Adult PROFESSIONAL (> 18 years old), Adult AMATEUR (> 18 years old), YOUTH (young people 14–17 years old) and CHILDREN (young people < 14 years old) and five categories: 1. MARE Animalia; 2. MARE Plantae; 3. MARE Sapiens; 4. MARE Denuncia; 5. MARE Nostrum (new category on the Mediterranean).
A total of €10,000 will be distributed in 23 prizes: cash prizes for the adult sections and underwater equipment for the Youth sections. MARE serve to build a collective appreciation of the Balearic Sea and to give further recognition to the photographers who connect the public with the sea.
MARE activities: exhibitions, workshops, diving, and photography
During the spring and summer months of 2022, various activities will be developed to promote coastal and underwater photography in conjunction with conservation organisations and diving centres associated with MARE. In addition, we will have different travelling exhibitions of the winning photographs from the second annual competition, MARE 2021, with talks and presentations by guest photographers around the Balearic Islands.
The updated agenda with all the scheduled activities will be available on the MARE website and social networks.
Success in the first two competitions
In the first two years of the competition, 2,000 photographs were submitted by 230 participants. All the winning images from 2000 and 2001 are available on the website, and the awards ceremonies can be viewed on the MARE YouTube channel.
398 photographs were donated for the conservation of the Balearic Sea.
Of the 1,009 entries submitted for MARE 2021, 398 photographs have been donated for conservation purposes, a sign of the great generosity and awareness shown by the participants.
Using the images submitted in the competition, exhibitions and workshops are held to help people learn about the seas around us and to accelerate its conservation. Since 2000, 20 underwater photography workshops and 4 exhibitions have been held (Es Caló de s'Oli in Ibiza, in Andratx with the support of Xarxa Dragonera Blava, and in Pollença and Mahón).
A collaborative initiative open to further support
MARE is a collaborative Balearic initiative open to support and donations from other institutions and companies that want to contribute to making visible the beauty of the Balearic and the Mediterranean Sea and working for their conservation.
It has the financial support of Marilles Foundation and Fundatur, in collaboration with Menorca Reserva de la Biosfera, IbizaPreservation, Mallorca Preservation Foundation, Menorca Preservation Fund, Save the Med, Iniciatives Mediterrànies, Foro Marino de Ibiza y Formentera, MedGardens, and Arrels Marines.
Sara García Betorz, MARE coordinator: "The third annual MARE reinforces our commitment to photography as a tool capable of moving, captivating, and connecting us with the sea. We continue to work to remember that our existence depends on the good health of all the seas and oceans and that is why we are opening the competition up to the Mediterranean Sea."
She adds: "MARE is funded by Marilles Foundation and supported by many organisations and professional photographers. We are still at the beginning of a long journey, and we need more support to ensure high participation and to bring the beauty of the sea to the Balearic public and beyond."
Aniol Esteban, director of Marilles Foundation: "The conservation of the sea and the Balearic coastline is essential for the prosperity and well-being of the islands. MARE opens our eyes to this reality and inspires the citizens of the Balearic Islands to protect the natural wealth of their seas."
Salud Deudero, jurist of MARE 2021 and member of the MARE Advisory Board: "MARE helps to broaden the knowledge of marine species and ecosystems through underwater photographs that encourage respect and love for the sea. It is the sum of art, technique, and observation of biodiversity to bear witness to the impacts on marine habitats."
