Sutherland Shire's The Young Naturalist has won a Canon Oceania Grant for Small Business, with cash and camera prizes to help young people document nature.
The Young Naturalist is a social enterprise, dedicated to assisting women and children in disadvantaged communities understand and connect with nature through scientific nature programs.
The Canon grants program recognised seven organisations across Australia and New Zealand that are paving the way towards a better future for their communities, and winners receive $2,500 in cash and $2,500 in Canon products.
Co-founder Dr Fiona Benyon, who lives in the shire, said, "Our mission is to bring Australian biodiversity to life and connect children with nature by providing experiences in microscopic investigation, citizen science participation and hands-on creation of biodiverse habitats."
"The 2021 Canon Oceania Grant will enable us to 'capture the moment' our Young Naturalists make their first scientific nature discoveries, creating tangible memories of their connection with nature.
"Thanks to Canon, our Young Naturalists will be able to share their nature discoveries with the world, by contributing their images to iNaturalist and the Atlas of Living Australia.
"The high-quality images captured with Canon cameras will also contribute to the creation of our Young Naturalist series of Natural Sciences books and field guides, assisting children to identify our unique Australian biodiversity."
Dave Yoshida, Managing Director, Canon Oceania, said, "We're continuously inspired by the breadth of organisations working to make a positive contribution to society, despite the tough economic and personal circumstances that COVID-19 has created for many Australian communities and organisations."
He said he was excited to see how this year's winners would use their grants "to positively impact their communities and our environment."