Ocean Awareness

The global Ocean Awareness Contest

How to Enter

CHOOSE A CATEGORY: Please review all submission requirements carefully. Students may submit one entry per category, meaning that you may enter up to six pieces, one in each category. If you submit more than one entry in a category (for example, two poems), additional entries will not be counted or judged.

Art

Visual Art submissions may include:

Drawing & illustration
Painting
Sculpture
Graphic design
Digital art, coding art & GIFs
Mixed media & collage
Printmaking
Photography
Ceramics
Fashion & jewelry
Data visualization & infographics
View student work in this category >

Visual Art Submission Requirements:

Accepted file types: JPG, PNG, GIF, or PDF.
You may submit up to 3 images (different angles or details) of your submission.
Make sure your files are high resolution, not crooked, and can easily be viewed.

Reflection (required): All submissions must include a written reflection (artist's statement) of up to 250 words. This will be a separate question on the submission form. Review reflection requirements >

Works Cited (if applicable): Include a bibliography (any style) crediting sources and citing any ideas, facts, quotes, or existing media used in your artwork that are not your own.
We encourage you to learn from and be inspired by other environmental artists and designers as you create your piece. If your submission is influenced by someone else's work of art, or if your submission uses someone else's image/artwork/photograph as a reference, you must give credit to the original source in the works cited section.

WRITE YOUR REFLECTION

A written reflection is required to accompany your submission, regardless of category. It is like the introduction to a book or an artist's statement in a museum. The judges will not lower your score for a poorly written reflection, but writing a thoughtful and personal reflection will certainly help the judges understand you and your work better, and you will likely do better in the Ocean Awareness Contest!

Your reflection should describe 1) your creative process and 2) what you have learned through your exploration of the Ocean Awareness Contest theme, Climate Hope: Transforming Crisis. Use the following questions to guide your writing:

What inspired your work?
What feelings did the process of creating (art, writing, film, music, interactive/multimedia) raise for you?
What is your message to viewers of your artwork?
After doing research on the climate crisis and potential solutions, what have you learned?
What gives you hope?
What action(s) will you personally take now that you've learned about this issue and potential solutions?

Reflection Requirements:
Length: 100-250 words
Your reflection must be written in English.

How to Enter

Step 1: Review & Research

Step 2: Create

CHOOSE A CATEGORY
Please review all submission requirements carefully. Students may submit one entry per category, meaning that you may enter up to six pieces, one in each category. If you submit more than one entry in a category (for example, two poems), additional entries will not be counted or judged.
Art, Film, Interactive & Multimedia *NEW*, Music. Poetry, Prose

WRITE YOUR REFLECTION
A written reflection is required to accompany your submission, regardless of category. It is like the introduction to a book or an artist's statement in a museum. The judges will not lower your score for a poorly written reflection, but writing a thoughtful and personal reflection will certainly help the judges understand you and your work better, and you will likely do better in the Ocean Awareness Contest!

What inspired your work?
What feelings did the process of creating (art, writing, film, music, interactive/multimedia) raise for you?
What is your message to viewers of your artwork?
After doing research on the climate crisis and potential solutions, what have you learned?
What gives you hope?
What action(s) will you personally take now that you've learned about this issue and potential solutions?

Reflection Requirements:

Length: 100-250 words
Your reflection must be written in English.

Step 3: Submit

Students must create an account and submit their work through our online system. If you are submitting multiple works, you only need to create one account. Bow Seat cannot accept submissions via email or physical mail. Submission Deadline: June 15, 2020. Preview submission form >

Submission Checklist:

Your contact information
Your submission (Art, Film, Interactive & Multimedia, Music, Poetry, Prose)
A title for your submission
Your written reflection
Works cited (if applicable): List of sources for any ideas, quotes, or facts used that are not your own
Contact information for an adult sponsor (required for all participants)
Parent/guardian consent (required if under 13 years old). Click here for more information about parent/guardian consent.

Once you make an account and start a submission, you will have the opportunity to save your work and continue at another time.

SUBMIT
Teachers: You can submit on behalf of your class or multiple student participants. Review Information for Teachers & Adult Sponsors >

Step 4: Connect & Continue
SHARE YOUR WORK
Thank you for participating! You are part of Bow Seat's global community of more than 12,000 young people and counting who are using their creative voices to speak up for our blue planet.
Share this opportunity with other artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, climate activists, and ocean lovers you know! By giving young people an opportunity to think creatively about ocean conservation and climate action, and a platform for you to express your ideas, we hope to create a wave of awareness and impact around the world. Tag us @fromthebowseat and use the hashtag #ClimateHope if you share your work online so we can spread the love!

Judging

All 2020 Contest results will be announced in January 2021. Winners and their sponsors will be notified via email before the results are publicly announced.

for Teachers & Adult Sponsors

All student participants are required to provide the contact information for an Adult Sponsor. This can be a teacher, parent, guardian, mentor, coach, or other supporting adult.

Whether you are a teacher who assigned the Contest as a class project, a parent helping your child explore their creative potential, or an adult who was asked to be a sponsor for a student submitting on their own, your responsibilities are simple: all we need is to be able to contact you in case we have problems getting in touch with your sponsored student.

When your student submits their work, they will be asked to provide your name and email address. You will receive a confirmation email once they submit so that you can have it on record as well.For Sponsors of Participating Students Under the Age of 13: Parent/Guardian Consent Forms are required for any participating student under the age of 13. On the first page of the submission form, select "Yes" to the question "Are you under 13 years old?" and choose an option:

Provide Consent Electronically. This option sends an electronic Consent Letter to the parent or guardian specified for an e-signature.
Upload Parent/Guardian Consent Form. This option allows you to upload a signed version of the PDF form. If you would like to upload multiple Consent Forms, combine all forms into one PDF or email the individual forms to us (see below).
Email Parent/Guardian Consent Form. Choose this option if you would like to email us one or multiple signed Consent Forms, and we will add them to the student's submission.

SPONSORS & TEACHERS FAQS

Do you have any resources on ocean conservation and climate change?
Yes! We have many resources in our new Resource Studio - including articles, lesson plans, and videos - to help you and your student learn more about issues related to climate change and our ocean, and to support project inspiration and planning. Be sure to join our mailing list for important updates about the Contest, as well as for featured resources and special opportunities.

I am a teacher with many submissions from my class. Can I submit on their behalf?
Yes. You may create a single account under your name and submit multiple entries on behalf of your class, but you must submit separate entries for each individual student, unless they are participating as a group.
View all FAQs for Sponsors & Teachers >

EDUCATOR INNOVATION AWARDS

If you are a teacher or youth program coordinator who uses the 2020 Contest in your classroom, we want to hear from you! Bow Seat grants Educator Innovation Awards of $750 to acknowledge the efforts of individuals who are teaching students about ocean issues and empowering them to be stewards of our blue planet, while meeting important educational standards. Educators can nominate themselves or a colleague. Learn more & apply >

Contest Rules & Eligibility

Competition Period

All submissions must be received by June 15, 2020, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time (ET) to be considered in the 2020 Ocean Awareness Contest. The online platform will close automatically at the Contest deadline. Please plan accordingly!

Who May Enter

This is an international Contest and is open to students ages 11-18 who are enrolled in middle school or high school (or the homeschool equivalent) worldwide. Proof of age, identity, or eligibility may be required.
Students ages 11-14 may enter the Junior Division. Students ages 15-18 may enter the Senior Division. Please enter the age division based on your age at the time of entry.
Participants under the age of 13 must have a parent or legal guardian complete a Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Parent/Guardian Consent Form with their submission. Learn more >
Entries may be submitted by an individual or group of unlimited size. If you submit as a group, there must be one group leader who will serve as the contact person for the group. All of the names of the group members must be listed in the submission. Award money will be split evenly among the group members.
Any student may submit (i.e., have their name included in) only one entry per category. Therefore, a student may have a maximum of six different submissions, one in each category.

How to Enter

There is no fee to enter the Contest.
Students must create an account and submit their work through our online system by the Contest deadline June 15, 2020, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time (ET). Bow Seat cannot accept submissions via email or physical mail.
Students must provide the contact information for an Adult Sponsor: a teacher, parent, guardian, mentor, or other supporting adult.
Entries submitted previously to the Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest will not be considered in the 2020 Contest. Submissions must be created during the 2019 academic year (or between July 2019 and June 2020).
All entries must be the students' original work. While we recognize that existing sources will be used for inspiration and research, Bow Seat reserves the right to disqualify an entry at any time if we suspect or determine plagiarism.
Entries must be submitted in English or have an English translation in order to be considered for judging.

Additional

By entering the Ocean Awareness Contest, you agree to Bow Seat's Terms of Use.
Bow Seat promises to run this Contest fairly, ethically, and with integrity.
All judging decisions are final.
All winners and their sponsors will be notified by email before they are publicly announced.
Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs reserves the right to use students' work for marketing and promotional purposes in any and all media.
Winners will be required to verify their eligibility by completing an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release, and, where lawful, a Publicity Release during the award claim process.