A panel of thought leaders and blockchain visionaries from effectually the globe converged in Glasgow, Scotland on Nov. 11 for the United nations Climate Modify Briefing (COP26) pinnacle to announce the finalists and winners of the DigitalArt4Climate competition.

DigitalArt4Climate is a multi-faceted crypto climate initiative, organized past IAAI GloCha in collaboration with the UN-Habitat youth program, which empowers the global community of artists to create nonfungible token (NFT) works inherently focused on advocating for climate action.

Moderated by the CEO of The Oblique Life, Romi Sumaria, and attended past head of metaverse growth at Unique Network, Irina Karagyuar, founder of DigitalArt4Climate Miroslav Polzer and Cointelegraph editor-in-chief Kristina Cornèr, among others, the panelists shared an array of projects and ideas for the utilise of clean, carbon-efficient technologies to support imminent ecology challenges.

DigitalArt4Climate representatives and partners at the COP26 conference

Founder of GloCha, DigitalArt4Climate and esteemed COP26 host Miroslav Polzer announced that the competition had received 208 entries from across 58 countries, and noted that the artists utilized an assortment of traditional and technological instruments and mediums ranging from digitized acrylic and landscape paintings to artificial intelligence and generative art.

In addition to showcasing the work of the 30 finalists throughout the COP26 summit on digital billboards and via the project's website, DigitalArt4Climate has as well partnered with environmentally-conscious metaverse space Artgence to create a three-dimensional and emotionally immersive virtual gallery.

The distinguished collection is expected to exist individually auctioned off on June 5, 2022, recognized globally every bit World Environment Day, in support of the seventeen United nations Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.

Roger Haus, the CEO of Exquisite Workers — 1 of the key partner organizations of the art competition — broadcasted a philosophical vision on how creative recognition can allow us to acknowledge universal challenges, stating:

"Nosotros believe that through the process of appreciating art, nosotros witness the struggles and the brilliance of humanity, and through the process of creating art, we give up to the luminescence within ourselves."

The iv competition winners were decided by the results of an online public vote while the competition'south special winner slot was selected by members of the consortium.

Outset prize was awarded to Filipino digital ecological artist, Bricx Martillo Dumas, for his slice titled Nexus, a sorrowful depiction of a human hand holding a plastic pocketbook containing a blue-colored drink and straw, in addition to a cigarette whose smoke floats into the temper equally tiny leaves.

Bricx Martillo Dumas' Nexus (Philippines) - 1st Place

Martillo spoke passionately (three:45 timestamp) about the importance of commonage ownership in pursuing climate action, citing his life-changing experience of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2022 in his hometown in the Philippines as the fundamental reason for his environmental impetus behind climate action.

Second identify in the competition was awarded to three artists: Iranian artist Amir Karimi for Every 2d Lake, French creative person Ekaterina Lestienne for The Wildfire and United States artist Chloé Hajjar for Allegory of Survival.

Finally, the competition'due south special award, the solitary choice past the consortium, was granted to Mathare Roots and the Graffiti Girls from Mlango Kubwa for their mural artwork, Team Spirit in Kenya.

Second placed artist, Lestienne shared vivid insights to the audience into the visual ideology of her piece.

"My layered, detailed, textured digital collage refers to the multidimensional soul of the world and can be interpreted as our precious and beautiful planet being ripped to peace past extreme climate events."
Ekaterina Lestienne'southward The Wildfire (French republic) - 2nd Place

Afterwards in the briefing, the Co-founder and creator of Exquisite Workers, Anna Sprint, spoke proficiently nigh the importance of galvanizing humanity every bit a collective force to cultivate a sustainable and technologically dynamic ecosystem for the next generation:

"Nosotros have inherited incredible legacies from our common ancestors. Let'southward become the ancestors that next generations volition be proud of. Let's be passionate, vulnerable and insubordinate for life. Let'due south look deeply at entirely new means and tools to build a better world. Let our lives document humanity's impact on the planet."

Unique Network, a parachain project in the Kusama and Polkadot ecosystem, was selected past the United Nations to facilitate an NFT climate initiative dorsum in August 2022, as was reported by Cointelegraph.

By visiting the DigitalArt4Climate website, users with a Polkadot JS wallet address can now claim an environmentally-friendly free NFT asset titled Global Angel. The artwork, which has been facilitated past Unique Network and built upon the Polkadot relay chain, signifies a message of unification between our physical and digital worlds.