UNESCO Category 2 Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia and the Pacific Region, Wildlife Institute of India

 As stated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, “Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritages are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.” The cultural and natural heritage is among the priceless and irreplaceable assets, not only of each nation, but of humanity as a whole. World Heritage is the shared wealth and responsibility of humankind. Hence, protecting and preserving this valuable asset demands the collective efforts of the international community. Thus, celebrating this theme on a special day offers an opportunity to raise the public's awareness about the diversity of heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability.

The International Day for Monuments and Sites was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18^th April, 1982 and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983. The aim is to spread awareness about the diversity and importance of heritage of humanity, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and preservation.  The 2020 theme for the ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites is ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’ which provides an opportunity to emphasize the importance of intergenerational exchanges when it comes to safeguarding and celebrating our heritage.  This year’s theme is also an expression of our global unity in the face of the ongoing worldwide health crisis.

Given the current global outbreak of Covid-19 and the containment measures in different countries around the world, ICOMOS has suggested to celebrate the International Day for Monuments and Sites in compliance with instructions from local and national authorities so as to ensure the safety of participants.

Therefore, UNESCO Category 2 Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia and the Pacific Region, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, proposes to celebrate World Heritage Day (WHD) on April 18, 2020 by organizing drawing and creative writing competition through online system by following social distancing norms suggested by Government of India.

Theme of the competition:  COVID-19 & Natural Heritage

Who Can Participate?

Competition is open to the children of all officials / staff (permanent / contractual) of WII, ICFRE, FRI, IGNFA, FSI and CASFOS, Dehradun. 

Categories for Participation:

Competition is open under following categories:

*Senior 2: 12^thstd students who are awaiting results are also eligible to participate

Guidelines for Drawing Competition:

1. Each entry must be original. Only one entry from each participant will be accepted. 
2. To maintain uniformity, it is suggested to use A3/A4 size white paper/drawing sheet for art work.  
3. Only wax crayons, color pencils, water colors are allowed for drawing/artwork.
4. Poster may be in the form of a notice/advertisement/announcement; it generally has both text and picture; it should carry a catchy phrase/slogan relevant to the theme.
5. After preparing drawing, participants should take a clear picture through camera/mobile phone camera and submit high resolution file without any edits, through email.

Guidelines for Essay Writing Competition:

1. Each entry must be original. Only one entry from each participant will be accepted. 
2. Entry should be made either typed in MS Word format (Font: Times New Roman, Size: 12) or neatly written handwriting.
3. Length of the writeup should not be more than 500 words. 
4. Language for the essay writing competition will be either English or Hindi only.  
5. The essay should be creative and should be original, self-expressivewhich evokes an emotion or response, rather than the normal academic or technical writing based on presentation of facts and information.

Awards: 

Entries with complete information only shall be evaluated by an expert committee. Successful entries will be selected for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd Prize in each category.

Certificate of participation will be provided to all participants.

Last Date for Submission: 15^thApril, 2020 at 2359Hrs

Submission Method: Only through Email: at contactc2cindia [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in with cc marked to bhumesh [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in

In the email subject line, please write “Entry for WHD 2020 Drawing/Essay Competition _Category_ Your Name” 

General Rules & Regulation:

• Only original work shall be accepted.
• Winners will be contacted personally.
• List of winners will be uploaded on the WII website: https://wii.gov.in
• Each entry should be submitted along with the registration form, appended herewith.
• Revised entry will not be considered, and in any case only first submitted entry will be accepted for evaluation.
• The decision of the judges with approval from Director WII shall be final & binding on all the participants.

For any clarification please write to Dr Bhumesh Singh Bhadouria, Technical Officer, UNESCO C2C- WII at bhumesh [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in

• Download guidelines and conditions (104 kb )
• Download registration form (79 kb )
• Download drawing template (16 kb )
• Download essay template (9 kb )

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