The 2025 Ocean Awareness Contest, “Connections to Nature, Looking Inside, Going Outside“, encourages students to explore the natural world and their place in it through the lenses of generational knowledge, human health, urban environments, resiliency, and more.

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 2024 are available on the official website.

The 2025 Ocean Awareness Contest – Connections to Nature: Looking Inside, Going Outside – encourages you to explore the natural world and your place in it. We invite you to think about your unique connection to nature and how being outside makes you feel. There are so many different ways that you can connect to nature, whether that’s exploring the history of the land you live on, volunteering in the fight against climate change, or taking a restorative walk in your local park. Go through the sub-themes and explore the topics that resonate with you. Share your relationship with the natural world through art, writing, performance, film, or multimedia. What is your connection to nature?

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.