Edith Haim has dedicated her story 'Waldvereint' to the role that nature plays in people's lives. She talks about ecosystem services, as well as their function of bringing people together and connecting them. She found inspiration for this in the Kalkalpen National Park. In the story that she wrote, we follow a family history spanning three generations that begins with a courageous girl who is dedicated to preserve the last old lime tree that has not yet fallen victim to deforestation and to reforest the forest. In doing so, she not only changes the course of her own life, but also the path her family will take and determines the future of the village.

Waldvereint [PDF]

At the interface between literature and cultural studies, the author deals with the Danube region as a space of memory and transgenerational traumas, including in her own family history. During her stay in the Donau-Auen National Park, she wrote a very personal text - Die Donau (A Lovesong). In it, she focusses on the Danube as a border river that connects and divides. Where the familiar meets the strange and is sometimes the same. She deals with her Slovakian family history in which the Danube plays a link between past and present.

Die Donau [PDF]

The young authors wanted to approach the ambivalent relationship between people and nature in the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park in a literary way as a team of two. To this purpose they created a collection of texts in which they recorded processes and interactions influenced by the national park as snapshots. On site they looked for and observed encounters with plants, animals and water, but also with people. Concrete literary products that emerged from these encounters include fictional dialogues, poetry and short prose from various perspectives.

Schilfschnitt [PDF]

As part of the scholarship, the author travelled along the Luchstrail in the Gesäuse National Park. The focus was less on mastering the respective stage and more on sharpening her view of everything that moves there. In lyrical miniatures, she traced the crossing and interlinking paths in the mountains. In doing so, she also questions the common understanding of what a hike is.

Lyrische Miniaturen [PDF]

The graphic and communication designer uses an artistic approach to visualise the interconnectedness of elements and draws attention to details that may only become apparent to people at second glance. She connects the visible with the supposedly invisible, shows dependencies and the interplay in which every tiny part is a cogwheel in the great clockwork of nature. Her series was created in the Neusiedler See - Seewinkel National Park and shows connections, atmosphere, emotions and the small details in the big picture. The art of photography becomes a link and network partner between man and nature and can thus contribute to the preservation of variety and diversity in our fragile ecosystem, which is worth protecting.

photo gallery [PDF]

"When was the last time we took time to pause and breathe deeply, feel the soft moss under our feet, listen to the sound of water, observe animals in their natural environment or marvel at the starry sky?" The photographer began her journey of discovery in the Thayatal National Park with these questions. With her pictures, she wants to encourage viewers to connect with their own feelings, to consciously connect with nature and to be completely in the here and now. In doing so, she constantly changes her perspective and directs the viewer's eye to different levels.

photo gallery [PDF]

The aquatic ecologist and photographer dedicate her work to bridging the gap between ecology and art. Her photo series is a combination of scientific components with the media forms of photography and text. It was created in the Thayatal National Park and portrays a small section of life associated with aquatic habitats. The photographs are juxtaposed with images of water that play with the variety of manifestations of this element. The third aspect of the project consists of diffuse landscapes along the river, which are abstractly juxtaposed with decontextualised objects as "found objects".

photo gallery [PDF]

For the wildlife photographer and biochemist, it was certain in the Donau-Auen National Park that he wanted to show the connections between nature, people, research and species conservation in the national park. He focussed on the cooperation and interdependence of birds, insects and plants. The result is a series of images ranging from macro photography to wildlife and landscape photography.

photo gallery [PDF]

The two photographers created a digital, multimedia diary in the form of various media, such as 360° panoramas, individual images and texts. All of these individual creative and technical applications were intended to reflect their discoveries and impressions of the Kalkalpen National Park in a variety of ways. The medium 360° round tour has the advantage of conveying information and impressions creatively and artistically in a playful approach.

The young photographer and filmmaker is studying photography and multimedia. Through her work in the Hohe Tauern National Park in Tyrol, she wants to connect people with the Austrian national parks. Her images are meant to show nature as the jewel that it is and sensitise national park visitors to their surroundings.

The filmmaker created a short film for the Hohe Tauern National Park in Carinthia. In this film, he wanted to portray the relationship between people and the national park. The result is magnificent landscape shots that show how worthy this area is of protection. The video was completed with background music that he created together with his father.

During the scholarship, the freelance journalist had the opportunity to explore the Luchs Trail in detail. Starting in the Gesäuse National Park, he hiked towards the Kalkalpen National Park. He was able to film a lot on this journey. Short videos were created for social media. With a mix of explanatory and landscape videos, he wants to connect young people in Austria with our national parks and motivate them to experience our nature and understand its importance for society as a whole.

More videos by Thomas Hackl:

Das Schönste am Luchstrail

Hütten am Luchstrail

Frühstück am Luchstrail

Highlights am Luchstrail

Luchs am Luchstrail

Motivation

Proviant

Regen

Renaturierung

The five-man team from ELISE film production created the short film "Apex One" in the Hohe Tauern National Park in Salzburg. Until the film presentation, we can only publish the trailer of the film in advance. The story is about a game designer who has to create 3D images of stones and plants and is accommodated in a hut in the mountains for this purpose. In the film, not only the game designer encounters a resolute landlady, but also futuristic technology meets untouched nature.