Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (March 24, 2010) The Department of Tourism is pleased to announce that nine-year-old Charlotte Marnoch of George Town Primary has been selected as a regional winner in the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (F-CCA) Environmental Poster Competition.

Each year the Department of Tourism (DOT) invites students from local schools to participate in the Poster Competition, which is geared towards promoting and stimulating environmental awareness and effectively educating everyone on the importance of environmental protection.

Charlotte came third in the junior category (12 and under) after her poster was chosen from among entries from 15 participating countries in the Caribbean and Latin America. As a prize for attaining third place, Charlotte will receive a cash scholarship of US$1000 and a certificate recognizing her efforts, while George Town Primary School will receive US$1000 in lieu of art supplies. 

When asked how she came up with the idea for the poster, entitled “Preserve our Marine Life”, Charlotte said: “Our marine life is important to our economy. If we dump garbage, stand on or remove corals from the ocean it will destroy the marine life”. 

The Premier, the Hon. McKeeva Bush, Minister of Finance, Tourism and Development, commended Charlotte Marnoch on her achievement: “Charlotte’s poster shows that she has a keen awareness of our environment and the importance of keeping it pristine for future generations. She clearly is very creative and expresses herself well through the medium of art.”

The island of Nevis captured the winning entry in the age 12 and under category, while Jamaica won the age 13-16 category.

The F-CCA Member Lines expressed how difficult it was to choose the overall winner in each age category as all of the posters exemplified Caribbean excellence and expressed useful depictions of ways in which to preserve the environment.

Locally, Charlotte Marnoch and Claire Fletcher of the Cayman Prep School were chosen as the winners of the contest for the Cayman Islands in the junior and senior categories respectively. Both students’ posters were forwarded to the F-CCA to compete regionally. Claire will receive US$200 for placing first in her category at the country level.

“There are many competitions that the Department of Tourism offers in an effort to engage students in the tourism industry,” shared Diane Conolly, Coordinator, Tourism Training and Development at the Department of Tourism. “I would like to thank all of the schools and parents who consistently encourage their children to participate and, in particular, commend Ms. Marie Martin who urges her students to compete time and time again.

“If anyone is interested in getting involved in the many DOT competitions, please contact me at 949-0623.”