A 17-year-old high school student of Marcial O. Rañola Memorial School (MORMS) in the province of Albay bested it over 1,676 entries around the world in the Shoot Nations 2008 Drawing category held in the United Kingdom.

In the official communication from Plan International, sponsor of the competition, it was said that the judges of Shoot Nations 2008 selected Bryle Napay?s art work as Best Overall Drawing.

Napay is a fourth year high school student of MORMS. Said Shoot Nations 2008 is a global online youth photography competition addressing the theme of ?Young People in a Changing Climate.?

The competition aims to build a global picture of how climate change is affecting young people, how they can act now to slow the change and how they can adapt to the inevitable changes in the future.

The competition was held in conjunction with the United Nations International Youth Day last August 12 and is open to anyone aged 11-24 years from anywhere in the world. The exhibition showcases the best of these entries and provides a forum for discussion

According to Napay, the Shoot Nations enables the smallest family, community or environmental issue to reach the highest level of global governance.

Napay believes in empowering young people to mobilize and influence policy at all levels is crucial to successful development. ?I never expect to win this kind of competition because of the huge number of entries,? he said.

?We just sent our entry through email before the given deadline last July 2008 and after several months of waiting the organizer informed us that my entry has been chosen as the overall winner in the drawing category,? Napay added.

He also stated that the role of young people is very important in responding to environmental problems. ?It also reminds me that we can still do small things before it?s too late.?
On the other hand, a certificate of recognition has been presented to Napay by the provincial government of Albay whose artwork has brought honor and glory to the province and the Philippines when his art entry was adjudged. Story courtesy of PNA