The First Lady’s Mazingira Awards (FLAMA) is a learner-centered national annual environment & climate change award, rolled out in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry and other stakeholders. FLAMA was launched on 7th September 2023 at the sidelines of the Africa Climate Summit by Her Excellency the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Mama Rachel Ruto.
FLAMA provides a platform for learners to creatively express their understanding, perceptions and solutions for environmental conservation & climate change thus helping them become environmentally conscious and climate ready citizens.
The Awards will complement the attainment of Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) learning outcomes in learning areas such as creative arts, environmental activities, integrated science and science and technology. The Awards will help enlighten and empower learners to become Environmental Stewards and Climate Change Ambassadors by putting classroom lessons into practice in creative and practical ways.
These guidelines provide the theme and rules for the 2024 FLAMA challenge that is open to Public and Private Primary and Junior Schools, including schools for learners and trainees with disabilities.
THEME
Every year the FLAMA theme will align, make reference to and focus on global and national environmental and climate change discourse allowing learners to creatively express their understanding of global issues and provide national contextualized solutions.
In 2024, FLAMA adopts and aligns with the World Environment Day theme for 2024; “Accelerating Land Restoration, Addressing Desertification and Drought Resilience”.
In this regard, the theme of the FLAMA 2024 challenge is; “Restore our Land, Secure our Future” / “Turejeshe Ardhi Yetu; Tuhakikishe Mustakabali Wetu”
This theme highlights the importance of land restoration, addressing desertification and building drought resilience in Kenya in securing a sustainable future.
The goal is to inspire action to protect and revive ecosystems globally and nationally. Human activities like poor farming techniques, cutting down trees and poor waste management are harming our land, leading to problems like droughts, floods and crop failure.
Learners are encouraged to explore the concept of ecosystem restoration, climate action and sustainable practices in their submissions. The best art, essays and spoken word with practical ideas will be selected as winners.
SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Category 1: Lower Primary (Grade 1-3)
Category 2: Upper Primary (Grade 4-6)
Category 3: Junior School (Grade 7-8)
Category 4: Special Needs Education
4.1 Lower Primary (Grade 1-3)
4.2 Upper Primary (Grade 4-6)
4.2 Junior School (Grade 7-8)
N.B Level 4 Learners; must be in a special school, special unit or an integrated school. (Those who follow the stage-based curriculum pathway in foundation, intermediate, pre vocational and vocational levels)
ARTISTIC CLASSIFICATION
● Painting
● Drawing
● Essay writing (English)
● Essay writing (Swahili)
● Spoken word
REGISTRATION AND SUBMISSION DATES
FLAMA Schools Registration: Ongoing up to 30th March 2024
Submission of learner’s entries: 30th March to 30th April 2024
Sub County Assessment: 1st May to 1st June 2024
County Level Assessment: 1st June to 15th June 2024
National Level Assessment: 15th June to 30th June 2024
Awards Ceremony: August 2024
ELIGIBILITY
● Only learners in grades 1-8 from public and private primary and junior secondary schools, including schools for learners and trainees with disabilities, are eligible.
● Each learner is allowed to submit ONLY ONE entry per artistic classification
● All artwork, essays and spoken word entries shall be the original creation of the learner
UNACCEPTABLE SUBMISSIONS
● Submissions that infringe on a third party’s copyrights
● Collaborative work done by more than one individual unless otherwise stated.
● Entries created by a person other than a registered learner
SUBMISSION FORMAT
Artwork
● Medium: Participants can choose between painting OR drawing
● Size and Format: Artwork should be on A4 paper.
● Originality: The artwork must be original and created specifically for this challenge.
● Captions: Each artwork should have a title and a short caption explaining the inspiration or message (maximum 30 words). This will be filled in on the online registration form NOT on the artwork
Essay
● Language: The essay can be in English, Swahili, Kenya Sign Language and Braille
● Length: Grade 1 – 3 (250 – 300 words) Grade 4 – 6 (500 – 700 words) Grade 7 – 8 (700 – 1000 words)
● Format: The essay should be on A4 size paper and should be handwritten, signed or brailed (for special needs learners)
● Content: The essay should express the learner’s thoughts, perceptions, ideas, personal experiences and solutions that speak to the 2024 FLAMA theme
● Originality: Essays must be original, written by the learners themselves, and not copied from any external sources.
Spoken Word (Audiovisual)
● Length: Not more than 3 minutes long
● Language: In either English, Swahili or Kenya Sign Language
● Format: High resolution video in mp4
N.B. The audio visual for hearing impaired learners shall incorporate an audio of a sign language interpreter along with the performance of the learner
SUBMISSION PROCESS
● Schools are encouraged/advised to have an internal selection process to identify their best entries.
● Each school will be allowed only ONE entry per artistic classification and ONE entry each per submission category.
● All schools interested in participating in FLAMA 2024 MUST be registered on the FLAMA online portal before submitting their entries
● All entries MUST be submitted through the online FLAMA portal www.flama.go.ke by 30th April 2024
● Learners cannot submit entries unless their school is registered on the FLAMA online portal
● The completed entries should be scanned and submitted on the FLAMA portal in PDF or high-resolution JPEG format and audiovisual clips in MP4
● Where direct online submission is not possible by the school, hard copy entries should be submitted to the respective County Director of Education Office for online submission
● All original entries should be stored for verifiability
SELECTION OF WINNERS
Judging Criteria: The submissions will be evaluated using a robust judgment criterion based on;
● Theme interpretation
● Creativity and originality
● Artistic technique (for artwork),
● Clarity of expression (for essays)
● Clarity of expression and presentation (for spoken word).
Judging Process: The submissions will be judged by a panel of experienced professionals including; teachers of art & language, artists, writers, environmental and climate change experts, and experts in special needs education.
Fairness: The judging process will be fair and impartial, with judges evaluating the submissions independently using the established criteria.
The decision of the judging panel will be final.
RECOGNITION AND PRIZES
Notification: Winners will be notified through their respective schools through email and telephone.
Prizes: There will be exciting prizes for the winning learners, teachers and schools.
Exhibition: An exhibition will be held during the award ceremony to showcase and recognize the learner’s creativity and imagination
CELEBRATION AND AWARENESS
Award Ceremony: A National Award Ceremony will be held to celebrate the winners, teachers and schools and recognize their efforts. The date and location will be communicated.
Awareness Campaign: FLAMA will use the challenge to raise awareness about land restoration and environmental conservation among schools, the community and the wider public through social media, school and community engagements and local media outlets.
COPYRIGHT
● By entering the First Lady’s Mazingira Awards (FLAMA), you retain the rights of the submitted artworks, essay and spoken word entries.
● You grant the Office of the First Lady the right to publish, display and use the artwork/essay/spoken word to create awareness about the environment and climate change in Kenya, in which case the Office of the First Lady will attribute the applicants’ works at all times.
● The submitted artwork, essays and spoken word audiovisual will not be returned and will remain in the possession of the Office of the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya. They will be used to create awareness about environmental conservation and climate change and may be displayed at relevant locations.
● The Office of the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya shall not be responsible for any damage to the artwork, essays and spoken word audiovisual sustained during submission and handling, even as it shall exert best efforts in handling the submitted artworks.
● The use of any artwork, essay and/or spoken word by the Office of the First Lady shall not be for any commercial purpose.
● Submission of work constitutes acceptance of these conditions
COMMUNICATION
For any inquiries and further information, you can reach the FLAMA Secretariat on;
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: +254 798 644 221
Website: www.flama.go.ke
