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To raise environmental awareness and promote sustainable living, our university’s Environmental Problems Research and Application Center, the Department of Environmental Engineering and the Environment Community organized a “Sustainable Environment” themed poster design competition as part of Environment Week activities. The competition enabled students to express their sensitivity to environmental problems through artistic means. In the opening of the event, Prof. Dr. Nurdan Gamze TURAN, Director of the Environmental Problems Research and Application Center and Head of the Department of Environmental Engineering, emphasized that environmental issues have reached a global scale and that such awareness-raising activities are of great importance for looking to the future with hope. She stated: “The world we live in is one of the greatest legacies entrusted to us. However, this legacy does not belong only to us; it also belongs to the generations that will come after us. With this awareness, every step taken for a sustainable environment has the power to save not only today but also tomorrow. With the poster design competition we organized this year to make Environment Week more meaningful and to increase environmental awareness, we wanted especially our young people to express their perspectives on the environment, their creative ideas and their solution proposals in an artistic way. Because we believe that art is one of the most effective ways to strengthen social awareness.” and thanked all the students who took part in the competition. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hülya AYKAÇ ÖZEN, Deputy Director of the Environmental Problems Research and Application Center and faculty member of the Department of Environmental Engineering, underlined the importance of sustainability and pointed out that individuals, institutions and governments must share responsibility in order to prevent the depletion of natural resources and to leave a livable world to future generations. Taking into account today’s growing population, rapidly depleting natural resources and the effects of climate change, she stressed that the concept of sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity. Dean of the Faculty of Architecture Prof. Dr. Mehmet ÇETİN and his students actively supported the event. Prof. Dr. Çetin highlighted the importance of educating future architects with an environmentally sensitive perspective and stated that such artistic and socially conscious projects are an integral part of the educational process. Students from the Faculty of Architecture produced striking works by combining their design skills with environmental awareness. Interest in the competition was high. Nearly 300 posters were submitted by students from Ondokuz Mayıs University and OMÜ Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. With their original and impressive posters, the students showcased their solution proposals for a sustainable environment, their sensitivity to environmental threats and their attachment to nature. The winning posters were determined not by a special jury, but through an online vote in which participants cast their ballots, thus ensuring a more transparent and fair evaluation process. The direct involvement of participants in the process further increased interest in and sense of ownership of the competition. The event concluded with the presentation of the winning posters and the awarding of prizes to the students who placed in the competition.