The 2026 Ocean Awareness Contest – Your Story, Our Ocean – encourages you to explore the many ways our ocean sustains, protects, and inspires us.
Bow Seat 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. How does the ocean sustain, protect, and inspire you?
You are invited to submit works of visual art, creative writing, poetry, spoken word, music, dance, film, and multimedia for a chance to win cash awards of up to $1,000 and to join the world’s largest environmental youth community for the creative arts.
The Contest is free to enter and open to students worldwide, ages 11-18.
Details about the theme for 2026 are available on the official website.
The ocean has always been central to Bow Seat’s mission. Since the first Ocean Awareness Contest in 2012, we’ve asked students to explore ocean-related issues like marine species conservation, plastic pollution, and climate change. As our organization continues to evolve in new and exciting ways, we wanted to return to the topic that has captivated, moved, and activated tens of thousands of students who have participated in the Contest: the ocean! What value does the ocean bring to all of our lives? We’ve learned about the challenges that threaten the ocean, but why is it so important that we protect it?
We challenge you to dive into this year’s theme by exploring how the ocean sustains, protects, and inspires you and your community.
The Ocean Awareness Contest is a platform for young people to learn about environmental issues through art-making and creative communication, and become advocates for positive change.
Bow Seat is an award-winning Massachusetts-based nonprofit whose mission is to engage young people in environmental conservation and advocacy through the arts.
No Entry Fee!
It's free to enter.