Get ready to be inspired! The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is delighted to reveal the finalists of the 2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge. This year’s theme is “The Sixth Extinction,” and we challenged young artists from around the world to create a piece of artwork that highlights the beauty and importance of a marine species that are on the brink of extinction. We are thrilled with the entries that we received!
Over 1,200 entries flooded in from 67 different countries, and let us tell you, it was no easy feat to choose the finalists. But after much deliberation, our judges have selected finalists whose exceptional artwork surpassed all expectations in terms of creativity, originality, and adherence to the theme.
The submissions were simply breathtaking, and we can’t wait for you to see them. So, without further ado, here are the finalists for Ages 11-14 of the 2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge. These talented artists will leave you in awe with their remarkable creations that bring attention to the urgency of preserving our treasured marine species.
Second Place (11-14): "The Dark Journey Ahead" by Ridham Agarwal, Age 14, India
ARTIST'S STATEMENT: As we enter the halls of wonder that are called the marine museums today, a captivating array of rare sea creatures with vibrant hues and graceful forms gives a feast to the senses, but unfortunately, the present pleasure veils us from the poignant and ironic truth, that of the dark reality looming ahead, threatening to rob future generations of the elegance that is the subject of the admiration. What humankind hardly ever realizes is that the currently ongoing exploitation spells the doom of these species, reducing them to skeletons that serve as a chilling reminder of the era gone by. The magnificence that we fervently admire today may soon become the subject of memory, lost to imagination forever. Let, us therefore, be mindful of the path we tread and the legacy we leave behind, a dynamic array of vibrance for future generations.
