Get ready to be inspired! The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is delighted to reveal the finalists of the 2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge. This year’s theme is “The Sixth Extinction,” and we challenged young artists from around the world to create a piece of artwork that highlights the beauty and importance of a marine species that are on the brink of extinction. We are thrilled with the entries that we received!
Over 1,200 entries flooded in from 67 different countries, and let us tell you, it was no easy feat to choose the finalists. But after much deliberation, our judges have selected finalists whose exceptional artwork surpassed all expectations in terms of creativity, originality, and adherence to the theme.
The submissions were simply breathtaking, and we can’t wait for you to see them. So, without further ado, here are the finalists for Ages 11-14 of the 2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge. These talented artists will leave you in awe with their remarkable creations that bring attention to the urgency of preserving our treasured marine species.
"The Cutest Park Rangers" by Robyn Toenniges, Age 13, United States of America
ARTIST'S STATEMENT: Sea Otters are instrumental to the structure of the environments they inhabit. They control the population of sea urchins and fish which unchecked, would proliferate, in turn destroying the kelp forests they occupy. As well as providing shelter for over 1,000 different species, kelp forests worldwide sequester approximately 3% of all marine carbon (blue carbon). Making these adorable creatures the park rangers of the underwater society.
