| The Challenge | Eligibility | Guidelines | Judging | Background | About LOF |
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THE CHALLENGE
The oceans affect our lives every day. From the air we breathe to the food on our plates to the medicines in our house to jobs and careers, oceans provide a wide range of services and products. Oceans link to culture, religion, history, and people’s ways of life. They also provide opportunities for recreation and rejuvenation as a counterbalance to the stresses of life. The combination of all of the above yields a resource of significant value to society. Unfortunately, many people are not aware of the how vital the oceans are to our existence. Issues of pollution, coastal development, overfishing, and disease are seen as far away issues.
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation seeks to address this disconnection through the Science Without Borders® Challenge by asking students to answer the question,
Each student will submit a multi-media video presentation (from 1-5 minutes) of the student’s choice. The video can include any combination of interviews, comic storyboards, photography, and original footage to present an answer to the Challenge question. Each submission should convey a connection between everyday life and our oceans that can serve as a public service announcement to other students, teachers, parents, and the general public.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Any 14 to 19 year-old from a US or international secondary school (high school) may participate.
2. Group submissions are allowed with a maximum of 3 students per group.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
All submissions must be received electronically. A submission form will accompany each submission.
All submissions become the property of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. Submissions not selected for an award cannot be returned to the author(s). By submitting, all entrants give the Living Oceans Foundation permission to use the videos in the organization’s educational or promotional materials.
DEADLINE:
The deadline for submission was April 2, 2013. The submission period has now closed.
ABOUT THE VIDEO
1. All videos must be original works created by the individual or group.
2. All commercially produced clips, images, or music used in the film must be free of copyright or permission issues or be properly credited and acknowledged in the film.
3. All submissions must be electronically submitted to the Foundation.
4. The main narration of the film should be in English.
5. Videos can include the following mediums:
• Digital posters or Infographics
• Video clips (with music and/or narration)
• Photographs
• Original footage
6. Submissions should be between 1-5 minutes in length. (Videos longer than 5 minutes will not be considered.)
7. Acceptable Formats
• MPEG-4 (.mp4 and .m4v)
• WINDOWS AVI (.avi)
• QUICKTIME (.mov)
• WINDOWS MEDIA (.wmv)
JUDGING
The Living Oceans Foundation will use the criteria listed below to select the top 15 submissions for posting on the Foundation website for public viewing. Three finalists will then be considered for the Grand Prize. Winners will be announced by mid-May 2013 and highlighted on the Foundation website and through social media.
Prizes
The top three finalists will receive a GoPro underwater video camera. One Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad Mini and $1000. (The GoPro and iPad mini prizes apply to all group members if a group submission wins the Grand Prize. The cash prize will be shared among group members.)
Criteria
Submissions will be rated against four criteria, each with specific point value, for a maximum of 50 points.
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BACKGROUND
The world’s oceans are of critical importance to the sustainability of the numerous ecological systems that support the planet’s wellbeing. The oceans cover nearly 71% of the surface of the earth (an area of about 371 million square kilometers!) and have an average depth of about 12,230 feet, and a total volume of about 322,280,000 cubic miles. The oceans provide what was once thought of as a limitless supply of seafood, as well as sources of building materials, oil, methane gas and minerals, transportation and shipping, employment, recreation, biomedicals, water and other goods and services.
Interactions between the atmosphere, oceans and the seafloor are complex and incompletely understood. However, processes within the ocean drive the climate on land and weather, through transfer of water and heat, and they play important roles in nutrient and waste cycling and absorption of harmful carbon dioxide (CO2). Nearly half of all known species occur in the oceans, many of which generate the oxygen we breathe. The natural hazards we face on land, such as hurricanes and tropical storms, tsunamis and earthquakes, originate in the oceans. Changes in oceanographic conditions, such as in temperature and current patterns, can influence food production, cause drought in areas far removed from the oceans and other disasters, and ultimately affect their ability to mitigate climate change.
Given the extreme importance of the oceans, research and restoration activities that improve our understanding of the oceans and the ecosystems they support, which can also enhance conservation of these ecosystems, form the essence of the work of the Living Oceans Foundation. The Foundation supports and implements research and restoration projects that provide information and tools necessary to address the global challenge of preserving and protecting the world’s oceans.
Essential Principals of Ocean Sciences
According to the Ocean Literacy Network, ocean literacy is an understanding of the ocean's influence on people and people’s influence on the ocean. An ocean-literate person can:
• Understand the principles and concepts about the functioning of the ocean;
• Communicate about the ocean in a meaningful way; and
• Make informed and responsible decisions regarding the ocean and its resources.
| The Ocean Literacy Network has compiled seven essential principals to understanding ocean themes, Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences. They are:
1. Earth has one big ocean with many features. The Foundation’s education programs, including the Science Without Borders® Challenge, are designed to reinforce these principles. |
FIVE REASONS WE ARE ALL CONNECTED TO THE OCEANS
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ABOUT THE LIVING OCEANS FOUNDATION and SCIENCE WITHOUT BORDERS®
Science Without Borders® is the overarching theme of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. Its purposes are to provide financial sponsorship of marine conservation programs and scientific research, and to promote public awareness of the need to preserve, protect and restore the world's oceans and aquatic resources.
To learn more, check out the following links:
Science Without Borders® Blog--Connect to the updates from the field during each mission of the Global Reef Expedition, the Foundation’s 6-year research endeavor to study key coral reef habitats around the world. Submissions are authored by members of the science team, crew of the Golden Shadow, and Living Oceans Foundation staff.
Facebook Page--Keep up to date on the latest images, videos, and stories about the work of the Foundation as well as links to current topics and research related to the work of the Foundation.
YouTube Channel Education Playlist--Explore the Foundation’s collection of education oriented videos on its YouTube Channel with a special playlist.
Publications--View a list of articles and publications written, or co-written, by the Foundation’s staff stemming from the Foundation’s research. Field reports include site descriptions, relevant data and observations, research images, survey method details, and preliminary data analysis. Links to the articles or PDFs are included where available.
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“It is vital that human society become knowledgeable about the importance of the sea, about why we should care and about what actions we can take that will enable us to secure a healthy ocean and a healthy future for ourselves. Ocean literacy is the key!” -Dr. Sylvia Earle
Questions? Please contact the education director prior to submitting.
The Submission Period has now closed.
