2025 Science Without Borders® Challenge Finalists: 15-19 year old students
The response to our 2025 Science Without Borders® Challenge has been overwhelming! We’ve been blown away by the sheer number of submissions we received from aspiring young scientists and artists worldwide. These gifted students come from all over the globe, including The Bahamas, Canada, China, Greece, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, and the United States. Their artwork brings the 2025 theme, “Marine Keystone Species,” to life in extraordinary ways. From intricate illustrations of krill and coral to impactful portrayals of sharks, sea otters, polar bears, mangroves, and more, each piece highlights the essential roles these species play in maintaining ocean balance and biodiversity.
Entries to the Science Without Borders® Challenge are judged in two categories based on age. Here are the finalists selected from the older group of applicants, students 15-19 years old:
"Seal's Fate" by Gianna Zhang, Age 17, United States of America
ARTIST'S STATEMENT: My artwork depicts the Orca/Killer whale, a powerful marine keystone species, as it preys on a seal along a rugged shoreline. Orcas are known for their cruel, almost murderous nature, as they prey on large mammals like seals, dolphins, and even each other. Without their presence, prey populations could grow unchecked, leading to collapses of fish, squid, and crustacean populations -- resources vital to many other organisms in ocean food chains. This piece captures the intensity and overlooked intelligence of orca predation, as it highlights the technique of intentional stranding, a hunting strategy demonstrating remarkable adaptability. The composition itself -- with the Orca looming in the background, fixated on a terrified seal -- showcases the predator's eerie presence, its essential ecological role, and the foreshadowed fate of the prey. By showcasing/choosing this apex predator, my artwork aims to emphasize the Orca's impact as a keystone species in balancing marine ecosystems.