International Landscape Day on 20 October – participate in a photography campaign or a photo competition
International Landscape Day will be celebrated in October. As in previous years, the festivities in Finland will include an open photo competition, guided landscape walks and a photography campaign that is already launched today.
Landscapes are an essential part of everyone's wellbeing and the quality and diversity of our living environment. What kind of landscapes can you see on your way to work, to school or to the shops, or from the windows of your home? What is fascinating or beautiful in your everyday landscapes, what would you like to change, or what is already changing in the landscape? Participate in the photography campaign celebrating the landscapes in your everyday life by taking photos of your daily landscapes and sharing them on Instragram with the hashtag #arkimaisema (#everydayladscape). You can also follow the campaign’s Instagram account @arkimaisema. The campaign will culminate in International Landscape Day on 20 October 2021.
A landscape photo competition, the theme of which is Landscape Day 2021, will be organised to mark Landscape Day. Photos taken between 14 and 20 October 2021 can be entered into the competition. The deadline for the entries is 24 October 2021. The main prize is a EUR 500 gift card to Rajala Pro Shop. Photos entered in the competition will be displayed at the Ministry of the Environment and on the competition website.
Participate in a landscape walk or evaluate landscapes
In addition to the photo competition, the festivities on International Landscape Day include guided landscape walks organised by the Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation. The walks will be organised throughout Finland on Landscape Day on 20 October and in the week preceding it. They are free of charge.
In the Envirate mobile application, you can use your senses to evaluate the environment. The application enables you to save a photo, the scene of the photo and your sensory experience of the environment in the map for others to see. It also enables you to view other users’ evaluations of different places.
The Council of Europe Landscape Convention safeguards landscapes
International Landscape Day is celebrated annually on 20 October, the anniversary of the Council of Europe Landscape Convention. The aim of the Convention is to design, manage, and protect all kinds of landscapes. The Convention covers both beautiful landscapes and everyday landscapes in the countryside, nature and cities alike. It encourages everyone to participate in observing landscapes and in the decision-making concerning them. The Council of Europe Landscape Convention is the first international treaty to concern only landscapes. Finland joined the Convention in 2006.
This year, International Landscape Day will be observed for the fifth time. Landscape Day will be organised by the Ministry of the Environment and the Finnish Environment Institute. The organisations taking part in the collaboration also include the Finnish Local Heritage Federation, the Rural Women’s Advisory Organisation, the National Board of Antiquities and the Finnish Association of Landscape Industries – Viherympäristöliitto ry. International Landscape Day is part of the European Cultural Environment Day Programme.
- Participate in the competition (The page will open when the competition is launched on 14 October 2021)
- International Landscape Day