Write a short summary of what happens in the ambient or digital execution or campaign.

Sand mining is a major crime, threatening the existence of more than 2/3rd of all beaches. But no one seems to notice it. To bring attention to this impending catastrophe, Awaaz Foundation created a multi-leg campaign – Save Our Sand using the most unexplored free media - sand. With no media budgets, Save Our Sand used the beaches as an outdoor medium printing all our communication on the sand itself. The campaign started with guerrilla stunts which ambushed beaches with our message. Our Save Our Sand Flip Flops were distributed among barefoot hawkers who printed all our messages on the beach. Soon, sand across beaches was full of messages imprinted by the hawkers and took the beachgoers by surprise. They sparked much needed conversations online bringing light to the issue. Using the largest outdoor print space available to us – the beaches.

Cultural/Context information for the jury

With India’s rapid development and booming construction industry creating an unprecedented demand for sand, the country’s beaches are being plundered rapidly. As a result, sand mining is a crime which happens in broad daylight, and in front of everyone. This situation is also complicated by two factors: - The builder-criminal-political nexus which reaps huge profits from it and stonewalls authority led action against illegal miners through bribes and muscle power. - The public apathy for environmental issues which has led to India becoming home to the most polluted cities in the world. These two factors have combined to create a perfect storm where the issue of sand mining continues to be denied the requisite coverage.