The response to our Science Without Borders® Challenge has been overwhelming! We’ve been blown away by the sheer number of submissions that we received from aspiring young scientists and artists all over the world. Last week, we proudly unveiled the finalists in the 11-14 age group, and now, we’re ecstatic to announce the finalists in the 15-19 year-old category.
These young artists hail from all corners of the globe, including China, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. You will be amazed at their incredible artwork and how well they captured the essence of the theme, “The Sixth Extinction.” Students depicted a diverse range of endangered marine animals in their artwork including whales, fish, polar bears, sharks, sea otters, horseshoe crabs, seals, and crocodiles. We were amazed by these students’ boundless creativity, execution of the theme, and artistic abilities.
Without further ado, please meet our talented 15-19 year old finalists! These exceptional artists have not only showcased their incredible talents but also their unwavering passion for marine conservation.
"Lifeguard Needed" by Lena Badylak, Age 15, Poland
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: Whales have been a part of our ocean ecosystem for over 30 billion years, providing us with half the oxygen we breath and combating climate change. But we've been hunting those gentle giants for their oil and meat with increasingly sophisticated technology. Now, most of whale species, such as fin whale on my picture are close to extinct. Their state is a mirror of the situation we forced our seas into. The extinction cycle must be broken. We are the reason for the sixth extinction and we must be the ones to prevent it. We need to become guards of marine species lives. The jump of whale in the picture is a cry for help, also a break through the surface, which symbolises breaking out of the cycle, a change. The lifebuoy has a symbolic meaning of 'saving' and is also a tool used by lifeguards.
