About the competition

The competition closed at 5pm on Tuesday 30 November 2021. 

A picture is worth a thousand words and can convey meaning and emotion beyond the barriers of language.

For instance, your entry could be a historic family photo that reveals a more innocent (or ignorant) time before we first learned about climate change and began to see its impact.

Or you may have captured a moment of extreme weather, which is becoming all the more common in Scotland, and the chaos it brings to our homes, streets, and natural heritage.

We’re also inviting creative entries of traditional artwork using paints, pastels, acrylics, pens or pencil, as well as digital artworks or those made in different mediums such as textiles and sculpture. 

Photographic entries should be taken in Scotland and artworks should clearly show a Scottish connection. Please read the rules of entry on the competition form and the Terms and Conditions for full details regarding eligibility. 

Entries will be displayed as part of the Visions of Climate Heritage competition webpages and a selection may be featured on our social media channels and other promotional material during the competition.

The winners and shortlisted entries will be widely promoted. Not only will they be featured in a permanent online exhibition on the Historic Environment Scotland website, they will be used in our Visions of Climate Heritage press releases, climate change related social media posts, and newsletter announcements to over 150,000 Historic Scotland members.

Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist whose research focuses on understanding what climate change means for people and the places where we live.

She is the Chief Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a Horn Distinguished Professor and Endowed Professor of Public Policy and Public Law in the Department of Political Science at Texas Tech University.

Katharine has been named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People, the United Nations Champion of the Environment, and the World Evangelical Alliance’s Climate Ambassador.

Phil is the City Archivist, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives where he leads a large team of archivists.

With over twenty years’ experience in the archive sector, he has previously worked at Aberdeen University, the North Highland Archive and the Orkney Library and Archive.

He is a Scottish Council on Archives Trustee and is assisting with the Sustainable Stories conference organised by the Community Archives and Heritage Group to coincide with COP26.

Beverley Gormley is the Heritage Trust Network’s Programme Manager and has previously managed local and national projects for the Woodland Trust, the Wildlife Trusts and Heritage Lincolnshire.

She is a Trustee of the Open Bionics Foundation, an ambassador for LimbBo and a disability advocate (being a congenital amputee herself) and spreads awareness of upper limb difference with her bionic Hero Arm.

‘In another life’ she was a professional photographer and enjoys painting wildlife and landscapes.

Dr David Mitchell is Director of Conservation at Historic Environment Scotland where he is responsible for the conservation of over 300 iconic heritage sites and collections, for technical and scientific research, and the Engine Shed in Stirling, Scotland’s building conservation centre.

David also leads on the organisation’s response to climate change.

He holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in earth sciences and a PhD in architecture. His particular areas of interest relate to technical conservation, industrial heritage and history and the application of digital technologies in the heritage sector. He is also a keen photographer.

As a young person from a rural town, Robyn has always been passionate about fighting climate change – especially how it affects marginalised communities. Photography has always been a passion of theirs and, as a young artist, they use photography frequently as part of their collages and digital art usually using photos taken from their own phone or magazines.

Robyn is part of the HistoricScot Youth Forum, a group of volunteers coordinated by Young Scot who are helping Historic Environment Scotland to include young people from a range of backgrounds and experiences in the work we do and the ways we make decisions. The group helps to shape how Scotland thinks about its past, makes changes in the present to be inclusive and engaging for all, and make plans for a sustainable future.

Historic Environment Scotland have partnered with the Heritage Trust Network and Scottish Council on Archives to bring you this competition for the biggest climate action event of the year, COP26.

The Heritage Trust Network is the umbrella body for any not-for-profit involved with rescuing historic building across the UK. With over 500 members, the Network provides an invaluable platform for members by way of peer-to-peer support, knowledge sharing and skills development. Funded in Scotland by the Architectural Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland, the Network is delighted to be taking part in COP26 through this exciting competition.

The Scottish Council on Archives is the lead body for the advocacy and development of archive and records management services in Scotland. Their work focuses on research, advocacy for archives, marketing and promoting opportunities for research and learning in Scottish archives, and providing training and development opportunities.

The Council is a welcome partner in this new competition for COP26, shedding a light on climate change through historic archival collections. On Wednesday 20 November, they are holding an event as part of COP26, Sustainable Stories: Capturing an Age of Change in Community Archives.