Inspiring Ocean Conservation Through Art

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation announced the winners of the annual Science Without Borders Challenge, an international student art contest that promotes ocean conservation. 

This year's competition, centered around the theme "The Sixth Extinction," encouraged young artists to raise awareness about endangered marine species and the urgent need to protect our oceans. The contest engaged students and teachers globally, inspiring them to create amazing artwork showcasing the beauty and wonder of endangered species in our ocean.

Open to primary and secondary school students 11-19 years old, the Science Without Borders Challenge attracted talent from around the world. This year more than 1,200 students from 67 countries submitted artwork to the competition, sending in artwork illustrating marine species, some teetering on the brink of extinction. Artwork in the competition was judged in two categories based on age.  

In the 15-19 age group, the first-place winner is Boram Shim with her stunning artwork, We Are Next. A 16-year old student in Norwood, New Jersey, Boram's captivating piece depicts a number of endangered marine species, including a Kemp's ridley sea turtle and the critically endangered vaquita porpoise. With a thought-provoking approach, the artwork depicts the history of animal extinction, emphasizing that if we continue to harm the environment, we ourselves may face extinction, much like the mammoths, ammonites, and dinosaurs.

Second place in the category for 15-19 year old students went to Celine Yang from the Republic of Korea with the artwork The Currents of Pollution, followed by Annette Kim, also from the Republic of Korea, who claims the third-place spot with Writing the Next Chapter.

In the 11-14 age group, Yanjun Mao, a 14-year-old student from China, emerged as the first-place winner for his artwork titled The Sea Bears Witness to Everything. Yanjun's artwork captures the hawksbill sea turtle, a species on the verge of extinction, swimming in front of a tearful eye in the ocean. He says this signifies the ocean's witness to the history of the hawksbill sea turtle as well as the heartbreaking killing of hawksbill sea turtles by humans. The artwork conveys the importance of protecting marine life while offering hope for a better future. By participating in the contest, Yanjun says he learned about the ocean's importance to people and their role in caring for nature. Now, he says, “I am willing to work for the protection of the ocean.”

Ridham Agarwal from India took home second place in the ages 11-14 category for her piece, The Dark Journey Ahead, while Alexander Zhang from China won third place for his artwork, Mother River Saves Lives.

Each of the winners will receive scholarships of up to $500 from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation to celebrate their achievements so they can continue to pursue their interests in art and ocean conservation.