SMART - air for Blue Skies Photo Competition
International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies,
7 September 2025
Air pollution is now the world’s leading environmental health risk and contributes to around 6.7 million premature deaths every year (WHO, 2023). Despite progress in reducing emissions, a staggering 99% of people globally still breathe air that does not meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines (UNEP, 2024).
This year, as we celebrate the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies on 7 September 2025, the Western Cape Government’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) is raising awareness and inspiring action under the theme “Race for Clean Air!”
This day is a powerful reminder that we need to act quickly to tackle air pollution and protect our health and the environment, as air pollution affects us all, although not equally. Studies show that children, the elderly, and low-income communities are the most vulnerable to its health impacts (World Bank, 2022). Domestic fuel used for cooking and heating in rural and informal areas all add to a disproportionate exposure to air pollution. As a major driver of urban air pollution, traffic congestion increases personal exposure to harmful pollutants, particularly during peak hours (Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, 2023).
Air pollution also drives climate change. Pollutants such as black carbon and methane are powerful short-lived climate forcers that warm the atmosphere and worsen air quality simultaneously (Climate and Clean Air Coalition, 2022).
Show us you care about the air that you breathe!
This year, on International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, the DEA&DP encourages YOU to reflect on the quality of the air YOU breathe. We invite YOU to participate in our SMART-air Blue Skies Clean Air campaign in two simple ways:
1. Photo Competition:
We start our campaign on 7 September 2025 and encourage YOU to look up to the sky and to take a picture of the sky and send this to DEA&DP.
2. Wear Blue for Blue Skies Day:
Come join the DEA&DPs Directorate: Air Quality Management as we celebrate International Clean Air for Blue Skies Day on 17 September 2025 at The Red House, Long Street, Cape Town CBD, 13h00 (opposite the DEA&DP offices in 1 Dorp Street, Cape Town).
Terms & Conditions:
- Photos must be taken between 7 and 30 September 2025.
- Theme: Your photo should prominently feature blue skies, and may include elements of nature, urban development, or community life.
- Lighting: Photos taken during dawn or dusk are welcome, but preference will be given to images showcasing clear blue skies.
- Permissions: By submitting your entry, you grant permission to DEA&DP to feature your photo(s) in future reports and / or publications issued by DEA&DP.
Restrictions:
- No nighttime or evening photos will be accepted.
- No identifiable people should appear in the photo.
Additional Notes:
- By submitting your photo, you grant permission for it to be used in future reports, publications, and promotional materials issued by the Department.
- Creativity and originality are encouraged!
- Ensure your photo is high-quality and unedited (minimal filters).
- Include a short caption or description with your entry, telling us where and when the photo was taken.
- Exciting prizes are up for grabs for the top three (3) entries.
Send your photo, together with a completed entry form to DEADP.AQM@westerncape.gov.za by 30 September 2025 (23h59)
Click here to see the full poster.