The Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change hosted an award ceremony for the winners of the "Wiki Loves Earth" international photo contest.

The event was opened by Minister of Ecology Aziz Abdukhakimov, who highlighted the educational, cultural and cognitive significance of the competition.

The Wiki Loves Earth international photography contest is held annually in many countries around the world with the support of Wikimedia Foundation and its local branches.

The aim of the contest is to create unique images of Uzbekistan's natural heritage sites (protected natural areas, reserves, national parks, etc.). Thanks to this competition, millions of people around the world gain new knowledge about the animal and plant life on our planet, the beauty and diversity of natural landscapes, and the problems and achievements in the field of nature conservation.

This year, Uzbekistan participated in this competition for the first time. From May 15 to June 15, 69 participants sent 3,282 photographs. Of these, 12 photographs by 6 authors were selected for the international stage of the competition.

It is worth noting that Uzbekistan showed incredible interest in the international competition, taking second place among all participating countries in terms of the number of submitted photographs.

During the event, the works of the competition winners were presented, and diplomas, certificates for purchases from an online store, and commemorative gifts were awarded.

Minister of Ecology Aziz Abdukhakimov also proposed to organize an annual republican competition "Wiki Loves Uzbekistan", based on which a photo exhibition of Uzbekistan's natural heritage will be organized, and a photo album will be created.

It can view the photos from the competition submitted by Uzbekistan here:
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Wiki_Loves_Earth_2023_in_Uzbekistan/Results.