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:
"Clustered Red Flowers" by Xinyue Jia, Age 15, China
ARTIST'S STATEMENT: Riftia pachyptila gather and grow in large numbers at the seafloor hydrothermal vents, like flowers blooming in the deep. They thrive in the deep sea, where no light penetrates, so the further you move toward the edges of the canvas, the less light there is, making the scene darker and deeper. The red Riftia pachyptila intertwine and grow densely together, showing how numerous they are. In the dark depths of the deep sea, they have adapted to the extreme hydrothermal environment by growing into a vibrant red color. The bubbles emitted by the hydrothermal vents carry the minerals that the Riftia pachyptila rely on to survive. These worms coexist with bacteria that transform the minerals into energy, which fuels the life forms in the Hydrothermal Vent ecosystem. The bacteria also provide food for the deep-sea fish swimming nearby.