The lights will go off for one hour on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 pm in key cities and towns in the Philippines and all over the world. It's called Earth Hour.

Earth Hour 2010 is a global call to action to every individual, every business, and every community. It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, and to get actively involved in working towards a sustainable future. People all over the world will turn off their lights and join together in creating a vital conversation about the future of our precious planet.

Last year, the Philippines ranked 1st worldwide in terms of total number of cities and towns that participated in Earth Hour. This year, the goal is to get 15 million Filipinos in 1,000 cities and towns all over the country to participate in Earth Hour 2010. By switching off our lights at 8:30 pm on March 27th, we convey a simple yet powerful message: each of us can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

You can document participation in Earth Hour in your locality, using your mobile phone or digital camera. That way, you can help show the whole world how committed we Filipinos are to united action against climate change. The top sixty (60) entries—30 digital photographs and 30 videos—will be included in the official Philippine audio-visual report to the global Earth Hour Secretariat and will be posted on www.earthhour.org. In addition, the entries that most capture the spirit of Earth Hour will be gifted with cellphones, DVD players, and official Earth Hour t-shirts as tokens of our appreciation.

Contest guidelines:

1. The contest is open to all Philippine-based individuals, aged 15 years and above.

2. To qualify, entrants must register via SMS through 5777. Their respective mobile numbers will serve to tag any number of entries.

3. To register—

a) Send to 5777 (Smart & Globe users only) the following text message from your mobile phone:

            GREEN(space) REG(space) firstname(slash) middleinitial(slash) lastname(slash) EARTH

Example: green reg Juan/C/De la Cruz/Earth

b) Then, turn on your messaging facilities by sending a second text message to 5777 as follows:

GREEN MEMO ON

4. There will be two categories: photo and video. Digital cameras and cellular phones may be used. All entries must be about an Earth Hour event (taken between 8:30pm and 9:30pm on March 27 or other related activity undertaken in line with Earth Hour and which captures the spirit of Earth Hour).

5. To submit multiple entries, one must label each one as follows:
a. For photo entries: 09xx-xxxxxxx-p001, 09xx-xxxxxxx-p002, etc.
b. For video entries: 09xx-xxxxxxx-v001, 09xx-xxxxxxx-v002, etc.

6. Photo entries for digital cameras must be printed in 8R size. Send all entries with a copy in CD format, which includes the name, registered mobile number, address, email, category and signature of the entrant. Entrants need to submit a brief description of the event/activity captured in photo/video (no more than 50 words).
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7. Video entries must be no shorter than one (1) minute and no longer than three (3) minutes each. They must be submitted as mpeg or avi files with live or recorded audio or music, in DVD format, then stored in a hard plastic DVD case. Name, registration number, address, email, mobile number, category and signature of the entrant must be written on both the DVD and its case

8. Photo and video entries must be submitted by March 31, 2010 (or at least postmarked if sent through mail on the said date) to:

Earth Hour Secretariat
6/F, PNOC Building 6, Energy Center
Merritt Road, Ft. Bonifacio
Taguig City, Metro Manila

9. The top sixty (60) entries—30 digital photographs and 30 videos—will be included in the official Philippine audio-visual report to the global Earth Hour Secretariat and will be posted on www.earthhour.org. In addition, the most interesting entries that capture the spirit of Earth Hour will be gifted with cellphones, DVD players and official Earth Hour t-shirts as tokens of our appreciation.

10. Winners will be notified by email and via SMS (text) from 5777. To claim their prizes, winners should show the text message or email sent by the Secretariat confirming their awarded entry and bring one legal ID with photo (SSS, driver’s license, passport or school ID.). Provincial winners will claim their prize at a designated area to be provided by the Secretariat.

11. All entries become the property of Earth Hour Philippines.

Join Earth Hour 2010! Turn off your lights at 8.30pm on Saturday, March 27 and document your participation to publicly register your commitment to the global community!