Bow Seat - Creative Action for Conservation (2026 Ocean Awareness Contest)
Contest Overview
2026 Theme | Your Story, Our Ocean: How Our Ocean Sustains, Protects, and Inspires Us
A CREATIVE CHALLENGE FOR TEENS WORLDWIDE
Your Story, Our Ocean Prompt
The 2026 Ocean Awareness Contest – Your Story, Our Ocean – encourages you to explore the many ways our ocean sustains, protects, and inspires us. We invite you to think about your personal connection to the ocean – whether you’re coastal or landlocked – through the value it brings to your life. The benefits of the ocean are widespread and multifaceted, from food production to climate regulation to artistic inspiration. Go through the sub-themes and explore the topics that resonate with you. Share how the ocean has shaped your story through art, writing, performance, film, or multimedia. How does the ocean sustain, protect, and inspire you?
The Contest deadline is June 8, 2026
Who May Enter
Students ages 11-18 from around the world are invited to participate in the Ocean Awareness Contest. Enter the division based on your age at the time of entry:
Junior Division: Age 11-14
Senior Division: Age 15-18
Students can participate as an individual or as a club, class, or group of any size. All students must provide the contact information for an Adult Sponsor (teacher, parent, mentor, etc.) Students who have started college or university are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
Submissions are accepted in:
Visual Art: Handcrafted
Visual Art: Digital
Poetry & Spoken Word
Creative Writing
Film
Performing Arts: Music & Dance
Interactive & Multimedia
Please review all submission requirements carefully.
How to enter
Step 1: Review the Rules & Eligibility
This is an international contest open to middle and high school students ages 11-18. Make sure you read all of the Contest rules, submission requirements, and other details before you get started.
Step 2: Review & Research
REVIEW THE THEME & PROMPT
The Ocean Awareness Contest theme changes every year. Be sure to review the description of the 2026 theme, Your Story, Our Ocean: How Our Ocean Sustains, Protects, and Inspires Us, before starting your piece. Submissions are judged based on how well they address the annual theme. Your submission should respond to the prompt listed in Step 3 below.
DO RESEARCH & GET INSPIRED
We have many resources on our website to help you get started on your submission. Explore Bow Seat’s Resource Studio—a unique, curated space that includes inspirational artwork, journalistic media, primary literature, interactive quizzes, videos, and more—to learn more about this year’s sub-themes of how the ocean sustains, protects, and inspires us. There are also skills-based resources with educational information and tips on art-making, filmmaking, spoken word, storytelling, and more, as well as examples of environmental art to inspire your craft.
Step 3: Create
PROMPT
Think about your personal connection to the ocean – whether you’re coastal or landlocked – through the value it brings to your life. The benefits of the ocean are widespread and multifaceted, from food production to climate regulation to artistic inspiration. Go through the sub-themes and explore the topics that resonate with you. Share how the ocean has shaped your story through art, writing, performance, film, or multimedia. How does the ocean sustain, protect, and inspire you?
Explore our Resource Studio for inspiration, and start creating!
CHOOSE A CATEGORY
Please review all submission requirements carefully. Students may submit one entry per category, meaning that you may enter up to seven 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.
Visual Art: Handcrafted
Visual Art: Digital
Creative Writing
Film
Interactive & Multimedia
Performing Arts: Music & Dance
Poetry & Spoken Word
