Nasser Abdullah Ibrahim Hussein Ibrahim from Nasser Bin Abdulla Al-Attiya Independent Secondary School for Boys has won the grand prize trip to South Africa in the Qatar e-Nature contest.
The contest, in its second edition, was based on the Qatar e-Nature app - a first of its kind smartphone application that highlights the rich diversity of Qatar’s environment, including plants, birds, mammals, reptiles and insects.
Held under the patronage of HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi, the contest was organised by international integrated energy and chemical company Sasol in association with Friends of the Environment Centre (FEC) and the Supreme Education Council (SEC).
At an awards ceremony on Sunday in Doha, the grand winner received two tickets and an all-expense paid nature trip to South Africa, home to Sasol’s global headquarters.
 In addition, several trophies and the latest iPads and iPhones were awarded to students and schools for their outstanding participation during the competition. Rabiaa bin Mohamed al-Kaabi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education represented the Minister at the ceremony.
Five schools were recognised for their students’ high participation rates: Al Khansaa Primary Independent School for Girls, Abu Obaida Preparatory Independent School for Boys, Nasser Bin Abdulla Al-Attiya Independent Secondary School for Boys, The Next Generation School and Noble International School.
Since the contest launched in February this year, the Qatar e-Nature Schools Contest featured 15,000 participants from various Independent and Private schools, with more than 3,000 photo entries where students had the option to send a photo related to Nature in Qatar.
The schools contest was open to all students enrolled in schools in Qatar from grades 1 to 13. Students were encouraged to find the correct answers to questions about birds, insects, reptiles, mammals and plants by browsing through the app content.
Dr Saif al-Hajari, chairman of the FEC stated that the Qatar e-Nature app has quickly become one of the best resources to learn about Qatar’s nature in an interactive way.
 Rabiaa al-Kaabi observed that the Qatar e-Nature schools contest opens many educational opportunities for students to learn more about the environment in Qatar.
“With the Qatar e-Nature schools contest, we have been able to contribute towards a better appreciation and awareness of nature in Qatar,” said Marjo Louw, president, Sasol Qatar.
During his time in South Africa, Nasser and his companion will enjoy a safari at the Kruger National Park located in the Mpumalanga province, spend time in the Lesedi Cultural Village in the Gauteng province, apart from visiting the cities of Pretoria and Johannesburg.