Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn M. Garvin recognized student winners of this year’s Earth Day video contest Wednesday.

The contest was launched by DNREC to engage youth about the importance of environmental protection and inspire them to be part of the solution to climate change.

Participants produced 30-second videos to answer the question, “If you were in charge of the world, what actions would you take to improve the health of our planet?”

The winners were:

• Kindergarten-fourth grade — Michael Hopkins, 7, a first grader at Kathleen H. Wilbur Elementary School, Bear, for “Save the Earth — It’s Easy-Peasy!”
• Fifth-eighth grade — Johannes Chow, 12, a seventh grader at Brandywine Springs School, Wilmington, for “We Have Only One World.”
• Ninth-12th grade — Nathen Going, 18, a 12th grader at Caesar Rodney High School, Camden, for “Save Our Planet.”

“I am proud of our young people who participated in the DNREC Earth Day video contest,” said Gov. John Carney. “They showed us all the ways, small and large, we can improve the health of our planet on Earth Day and every day, from picking up litter to practicing recycling to planting a tree at your school or in your neighborhood.”

The competition was open to all Delaware students, and judging was based on message/theme, visual effectiveness, originality/creativity and universal appeal.

Serving as judges were educator and state Rep. Rae Moore; Maddy Lauria, freelance environmental journalist; Jackie Knoll, head environmental educator for the Center for the Inland Bays; and DNREC videographer Mike Polo.

“Our mission is to protect human health and the environment, and part of that is done through educating the public about our historic, cultural and natural resources,” said Mr. Garvin. “By hosting the video contest, we wanted to provide our students a platform to share their concerns and propose solutions to the environmental challenges we face today and into the future. These videos reflect their readiness to take on environmental leadership roles and make a difference.”

The videos are posted here and the @DelawareDNREC YouTube channel. DNREC also published a highlight video featuring clips from several entries.

Each winner received a certificate, a $500 gift card, an annual pass to Delaware State Parks and a prize bag.