New competition for young nature film-makers

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital (SFNC) have joined forces with business, education and the arts industry to offer young people the opportunity to share work inspired by Scotland's nature and simultaneously encourage businesses to see the benefits of the natural world in a new competition called 'Why invest in nature?'

The short film competition is looking for entries that make a strong case for why businesses should invest in nature, with the aim of reinforcing the message that environmentally conscious companies will gain customer goodwill, as well as the fact that any successful business relies on a healthy natural world.

Entries should show that investing in Scotland's natural assets benefits the whole of society by improving public health and well-being, with businesses an important potential source of innovative ideas to help us all live more sustainably. A cash prize of £1,000 is on offer for the overall winner, with prizes of £500 for the top entries in the competition's six categories.

Crested Tit is one of Scotland's many iconic species (Damian Money).

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay said: "Investing in Scotland's natural capital is fundamental to a resilient, low-carbon economy that benefits everyone. I look forward to seeing the results produced by our young people and hope this will encourage more businesses to think sustainably for both their own future and Scotland’s nature."

Francesca Osowska, SNH Chief Executive Francesca, added: "We're delighted to be working with the Scottish Forum on Natural Capital and all of our partners in this our first film competition. We expect a selection of compelling films which will help us show how Scotland’s economy benefits from our wonderful natural heritage and make the case for all sorts of businesses to get involved in looking after Scotland's nature."