THE US Embassy in Kingston has sent out an invitation for TEENs to join their photo celebration, under the theme ‘Wetlands Tourism: A Great Experience’.

All can showcase the beauty of wetlands along with their talent by submitting their best photographs to a World Wetlands Day photo celebration, sponsored by the US Department of State and US Fish and Wildlife Service in partnership with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.

Ending on Friday, January 20, entrants can upload their best photograph(s) to their Flickr site in one of four wetlands and tourism-related categories: wildlife, landscapes, plants, and tourists (one per category per participant). All are invited to mark their favourite photos in each category through January 22.

The top photos in each category will be showcased on US Department of State, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and its International Organisation Partners websites and social media platforms around the world on World Wetlands Day, February 2, 2012.

Please visit Facebook at www.facebook.com/StateDepartment.OES and www.flickr.com/groups/WWD2012PhotoCelebration for instructions and more information.

Here are the steps:

TAG your best photo with one of the following categories (you may submit one photo per category) and upload it to the celebration page:-

WILDLIFE: Wildlife in wetlands, from frogs to fish to flamingoes, showcase the inhabitants of your favourite wetlands.

LANDSCAPE: Beautiful sunsets, an undulating salt marsh, a vista of stately mangroves, take it all in.

PLANTS: A close up of a flower or intricately woven lily-pad stalks, some of the most unique plants blur the lines between terrestrial and aquatic.

TOURISTS: Whether slipping silently by in a canoe, bird watching, fishing or photographing, show us how YOU enjoy your wetlands.

VOTE on your favourite photo in each group, Wildlife, Landscape, Plants, and Tourists by marking as a ‘favourite’ what you think are the best photos in each category.

FOLLOW the celebration on Facebook at www.facebook.com/StateDepartment.OES.

The top photographs in each group will be announced on World Wetlands Day, February 2.