THE Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) recently concluded the judging of the pieces that were submitted for their annual art competition 2020.
Initially launched in March of 2020, under the theme ‘My Vision for a Smart City/Town in Guyana in the Year 2040’, the competition attracted 43 entries.
GEA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Mahender Sharma, selected the theme with the aim of having persons between the ages of 15 and 19 choose a part of an actual city/town in Guyana to depict/illustrate their vision of a modern, smart, green, low carbon and sustainable future.

He posited that “it is important for our young people to think of what a sustainable, smart future for our country could look like. It is the beginning of the creation of interest and discussion regarding a sustainable energy future for Guyana from the perspective of our next leaders.”

Meanwhile, Sean Thomas, instructor at the E.R. Burrowes School of Art, who sat on the judging panel, indicated that he was impressed with the number of entries that spoke to the theme of the competition.

He said that “… the participants should be commended for accessing the materials and the quality of work submitted, in spite of the pandemic situation.”
He also posited that the art competition was a very good initiative as it aides the Burrowes School of Art in creating interest in visual art.
“Competitions such as these help to create interest and motivation among youth, into moving to the next level by enrolling in the school to further enhance their skills… so once again it was a pleasure to partner with the GEA on this initiative”, he concluded.

The GEA art competition started in 2014 and has since become an annual feature of the agency.
The judges at this year’s competition included: Shevon Wood, Head of the Energy and Energy Statistics Division-GEA; Rosshanda Bagot, Economist-GEA; Juanita Thomas, Project Assistant-Office of Climate Change; Sean Thomas, Instructor-Burrowes School of Art; and Regina Torrington-Ministry of Education Allied Arts Division.
In addition to the first, second and third place winners, 10 additional pieces were selected for inclusion in the design of the agency’s 2021 Calendar.
The announcing of winners and awarding of prizes and trophies will be done in November to commemorate CARICOM Energy Month 2020.