Following the announcement of our 11–14 age-group finalists, the Science Without Borders® Challenge continues with the 15–19 age group. Each year, the Challenge invites students to explore the ocean through both art and science—and this year’s finalists have done just that in remarkable ways.
Representing countries across the globe, including Canada, China, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, these talented young artists dive into the 2026 theme, “Microscopic Marine Life,” revealing a world that is rarely seen but deeply felt. Their artworks illuminate the hidden systems that sustain our planet, from oxygen-producing phytoplankton to deep-sea microbes driving chemical cycles far below the surface.
Through a range of creative approaches, these students transform the invisible into something tangible. Some reimagine microorganisms as vast, architectural forms or glowing ecosystems, while others focus on the delicate structures and life cycles of individual species. Many works explore powerful ideas of connection—between life and death, surface and deep sea, and humanity’s reliance on organisms too small to see.
What stands out most is not just the technical skill on display but the depth of understanding behind each piece. These artists highlight how microscopic marine life forms the foundation of ocean ecosystems, regulates Earth’s climate, and ultimately makes life as we know it possible.
We’re proud to celebrate this group of finalists, whose work challenges us to look more closely, think more deeply, and better appreciate the unseen forces shaping our world.
2026 Science Without Borders® Challenge Finalists (Ages 15-19)
"Smallest Sanctuary" by Lee Hwan Ahn, Age 17, Republic of Korea
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: Radiolaria possesses an intricate silica lattice skeleton — not a simple shell, but an active structure that drifts with ocean currents while performing both predation and symbiosis. As a pivot point in the food chain, they transfer the energy of phytoplankton to higher organisms, and after death, sequester carbon on the seafloor. Evolved over hundreds of millions of years, this skeleton embodies the paradox that the smallest unit sustains the entire ecosystem. This work translates that structural principle into human scale. By enlarging the radiolarian skeleton into an architectural structure people can enter and move through, I visualize how microscopic design can give rise to vast space. Gouache builds volumetric weight, while colored pencil brings out the perforated lattice detail. Figures at the base reveal the distance between a radiolarian's actual size and the scale of the architecture — the smallest life designing the greatest form of protection.
Stay tuned! We will announce the winners in the next couple of weeks.
