Every day, fishing boats, ferries, sailboats, kayaks, research vessels, cargo ships, whales, sea turtles, dolphins, seabirds, and countless other marine animals share the same waters. While people rely on the ocean for transportation, recreation, research, fishing, and exploration, it is also home to some of the most diverse and important ecosystems on Earth.
That simple but powerful idea is the inspiration behind the 15th Annual Science Without Borders® Challenge.
For the past 15 years, the Science Without Borders® Challenge has invited students around the world to explore ocean science through art. Each year, young artists tackle a new marine conservation theme, using their creativity to communicate scientific ideas, inspire others, and become advocates for our blue planet.
This year, we’re asking students to explore an important question:
How can the choices we make on the water help protect both people and life in the ocean?
This Year’s Theme: Navigate with Care
Navigate with Care began as a campaign created by the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN) to raise awareness of how responsible navigation can protect both people and the ocean. The campaign encourages mariners—from recreational boaters to commercial ships—to make thoughtful decisions on the water that improve safety while protecting marine wildlife and ecosystems.
This year, we’re bringing that message to the next generation through the Science Without Borders® Challenge. With generous sponsorship from IFAN, we’re inviting young artists around the world to explore what it means to Navigate with Care and show how safer, more responsible navigation can help people and marine life share the ocean.
Every voyage begins with a series of decisions.
Where should we travel? How fast should we go? Where is it safe to anchor? What should we do when wildlife is nearby?
These choices don’t just help people reach their destination safely—they also help protect whales, sea turtles, coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, and countless other species and habitats that make the ocean such an extraordinary place.
Safe navigation and ocean conservation are more connected than many people realize.
Planning ahead, following navigational markers, respecting Marine Protected Areas, slowing down around wildlife, anchoring responsibly, preventing pollution, and using modern navigation technologies all help reduce accidents while protecting marine ecosystems. The same actions that keep people safe on the water often help safeguard the ocean as well.
Creating Artwork for This Year’s Theme
For this year’s challenge, students ages 11–19 are invited to create artwork that illustrates what it means to Navigate With Care.
Your artwork should tell a story about how responsible navigation helps protect both people and life in the ocean. Rather than simply depicting a boat, a whale, or another marine animal, show the decisions people make on the water that improve safety while conserving marine ecosystems.
For example, your artwork might illustrate a cargo ship slowing down as whales migrate nearby, a family securing their boat to a mooring buoy instead of anchoring on a coral reef, scientists using technology to help mariners avoid marine wildlife, or boaters following Aids to Navigation (AtoNs) to safely navigate around sensitive habitats.
The strongest submissions will clearly communicate the connection between people and the ocean by showing how thoughtful navigation allows people and marine life to safely share the same waters.
Learning Beyond the Canvas
To help students, educators, and families explore this year’s theme, we’ve developed a comprehensive Learn About the Theme page filled with educational resources that examine the science behind responsible navigation. Whether you’re looking for inspiration for your artwork or want to dive deeper into the topic, the theme page is the perfect place to begin.
Participants can learn about marine protected areas, wildlife migration, coral reefs, underwater sound, pollution prevention, invasive species, and the technologies helping mariners make safer, more environmentally responsible decisions. Together, these resources demonstrate that protecting people and protecting the ocean are not competing goals—they go hand in hand.
Celebrating 15 Years of Ocean Inspiration
For fifteen years, students have shown us that art has the power to communicate science, inspire conservation, and create meaningful change.
This year marks an exciting milestone as we celebrate the 15th annual Science Without Borders® Challenge.
Since its launch, the Challenge has inspired thousands of students from around the world to learn about the ocean, think critically about environmental issues, and share their perspectives through art. Year after year, participants have reminded us that creativity has the power to communicate science, inspire action, and connect people across cultures.
We can’t wait to see how this year’s artists bring Navigate with Care to life.
A Shared Vision
We are grateful to the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation (IFAN) for generously sponsoring the 2027 Science Without Borders® Challenge theme and helping us bring Navigate with Care to students and classrooms around the world.
Together, we hope to inspire the next generation to understand that the choices people make on the water can help protect people, marine life, and the ocean ecosystems we all depend on.
This collaboration highlights a simple but powerful message: Protecting people and protecting the ocean go hand in hand.
Every decision we make on the water—whether planning a route, watching for wildlife, or anchoring responsibly—can help create a safer future for people while conserving the marine ecosystems that sustain life on Earth.
Whether you’re a student, educator, parent, or ocean enthusiast, we invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone year.
Explore the theme, discover the science behind responsible navigation, and imagine how your artwork can inspire others to protect both people and the ocean.
Together, let’s Navigate with Care.
Navigate With Care
Navigate with Care is a joint campaign by the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and the International Foundation for Aids to Navigation. Endorsed as an official Activity of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the campaign promotes safe and environmentally responsible navigation practices that protect both people and marine life.
