Vote for the People’s Choice Winners of the 2026 Science Without Borders® Challenge!

How to Vote

Voting for the People’s Choice Award is simple:

🗓 Voting opens: TODAY! Tuesday, April 21
🗓 Voting closes: Thursday, April 30 at 12:00 PM ET

Visit our Facebook or Instagram pages

Browse the finalist artwork in each age group

❤️ “Like” your favorite pieces

The finalist in each age group (11–14 and 15–19) with the most likes when voting closes will be named the People’s Choice Award winner!

Not only are you supporting the next generation of ocean advocates, but you’ll also get to experience an incredible collection of artwork inspired by the ocean’s smallest—and most important—organisms.

These students have shown remarkable creativity, skill, and scientific understanding, reminding us that even the tiniest forms of life can have a massive impact on our planet.

A Note About Judging

Voting for the People’s Choice Award does not affect the official competition results. Winners of the Science Without Borders® Challenge will be selected by a panel of judges based on creativity, originality, and understanding of the theme.

The People’s Choice Award is a fun way for the public to participate and recognize their favorite artwork.

From Dialogue to Action: Ocean Foundations Gather in Stockholm

What can philanthropy accomplish when foundations working across ocean science, conservation, and sustainable development come together around a shared purpose?

That question was at the heart of the 6th UN Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue, held September 7–9 in Stockholm, Sweden. The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation joined philanthropic organizations from around the world for three days of discussion, collaboration, and planning focused on accelerating progress during the second half of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Facilitated by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the UN Ocean Decade Foundations Dialogue is a growing network of more than 30 philanthropic organizations committed to advancing ocean science, collaboration, and action. Since its creation within the framework of the Ocean Decade, the Dialogue has provided foundations with a space to exchange ideas, develop partnerships, and explore how philanthropy can help advance a healthy and resilient ocean.

Hosted by the Voice of the Ocean Foundation (VOTO), this year’s gathering began with From Depth to Action, an Opening Forum that brought nearly 100 leaders from the Swedish and international ocean community together at…

Meet IFAN: Helping Bring Navigate with Care to the Next Generation

If you’ve ever seen a lighthouse flashing from the shore or a brightly colored buoy bobbing in the water, you’ve seen Aids to Navigation at work.

Aids to Navigation, often called AtoNs, help mariners navigate safely. They can mark channels, warn of hazards, help vessels determine their position, and provide other information people need to make safe decisions on the water. Around the world, these systems help guide everything from small recreational boats to large commercial or container ships.

But safe navigation isn’t only about protecting vessels and the people aboard them. The choices mariners make can also affect the animals and ecosystems beneath and around them.

That connection between maritime safety and ocean conservation is at the heart of this year’s Science Without Borders® Challenge—and of our partnership with this year’s theme sponsor, the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN).