Science Without Borders Challenge

2023 Science Without Borders® Q&A Session

Written by

Are you interested in participating in the 2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge, but you have questions about the contest? Are you unsure where to begin?

Join us on January 19th at 9 am Eastern Time (ET) for our Science Without Borders® Challenge Q&A Session!

On this Zoom call, we will go over the contest rules, how to enter the contest, more information about the theme, how to interpret the grading rubric, and provide tips for creating a beautiful and impactful piece of artwork that may help you to win the contest. At the same time, we will answer any questions that participants may have about the contest. This is a great opportunity for students and teachers to hear directly from the contest judges about what we are looking for.

The Sixth Extinction

Written by

Throughout the history of the planet, there has been an evolution and flux of species. From the first microorganisms found in the ocean billions of years ago, to the evolution of land-based plants, invertebrate and vertebrate animals, reptiles, mammals, and to the millions of species we now know of today. Historically, the earth has experienced five mass extinction events. These have been linked to some sort of natural disturbance where three-quarters of all species were lost over a short geological period. Glaciation events, volcanic eruptions, and asteroid impacts are theorized to be the cause of these five mass extinctions.

Recently, some scientists hypothesized that the earth is undergoing a sixth extinction event linked to the evolution of human civilization. This theory suggests that over the course of human history, people have caused the extinction of species on a massive scale. As humans became more civilized, we began altering the environment to fit our needs. We altered the land for agricultural uses; as our tools became more advanced, we were able to hunt more efficiently on land and in water; we built cities, and have extracted resources from the earth in ways never done before. These alterations and interactions with the environment have led to the loss of habitats, overexploitation of animals, and caused irreversible loss of the earth’s organisms.

2023 Science Without Borders® Q&A Session – November 30th

Written by

Are you interested in participating in the 2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge, but you have questions about the contest? Are you unsure where to begin? Join us on November 30, 2022, 7 pm Eastern Time (ET) for the first of two Science Without Borders® Challenge Q&A sessions. On this Zoom call, we will go over the contest rules, how to enter the contest, more information about the theme, how to interpret the grading rubric, and provide tips for creating a beautiful and impactful piece of artwork that may help you to win the contest. At the same time, we will answer any questions that participants may have about the contest.

Meet Yeonjae, Our 2022 Art Contest 1st Place Winner (Ages 15-19)

Written by

Yeonjae is a 16-year-old student at Seoul Foreign School in the Republic of Korea. For the past two years, she has been taking lessons at a private art studio to advance her art skills, so that one day she can become a graphic designer.

After talking to Yeonjae, I found out that she didn’t know much about the ocean prior to participating in the contest. In school, she learned generally about threats to the ocean, but she explains that she didn’t really understand that ocean ecosystems, like coral reefs, are significantly threated. She expressed that conducting research really opened her eyes to ocean conservation, especially using a “Ridge to Reef” approach. Living in Korea, Yeonjae frequently visits the beach. She continued to explain, “The next time I visit to the beach, I’m going to look at a bush, plant, or tree differently. I’m going to wonder, what is the purpose of that plant? Will it help reduce runoff or sedimentation? I never would have thought of the land and sea being interconnected before participating in this contest.”

Learn more from my interview with Yeonjae about what inspired her to create her artwork, what she hopes we gain from her piece, and why she wants to conserve the ocean, and so much more.

Meet Amy, Our 2022 Art Contest 1st Place Winner (Ages 11-14)

Written by

Each year, I can’t wait to receive the semi-finalists artwork from our Science Without Borders® Challenge, which is even more incredible in person than it is online. Our judges have the difficult job of evaluating all this incredible artwork, which is no easy task. Once the artwork is judged, I can breathe a sigh of relief. That is when one of my favorite tasks begins – contacting the winners.

This year, I had the pleasure of meeting Amy Hyobin Pyo, the first-place winner in the category for students 11-14 years old. Amy is a 12-year-old student at Tenafly Middle School in New Jersey. What I learned about Amy is that she already had a passion for the ocean before participating in this contest. Despite her passion for the ocean, she prefers art to science classes. Amy is artistically minded but shared with me that she has a new appreciation for science after participating in the art contest, stating, “I really thought science was more about studying motion and conducting labs. Now I know that studying animals in the ocean is another part of science that I really enjoy learning about.”

Announcing the winners of the 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge!

Written by

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is thrilled to announce the winners of our annual student art competition, the Science Without Borders® Challenge. Now in its tenth year, this international contest engages students in ocean conservation through art, encouraging them to create artwork that inspires people to preserve, protect, and restore the world’s oceans. This year, students were asked to illustrate a ‘Ridge to Reef’ approach to coral reef conservation—and they delivered!

Over 500 primary and secondary school students from nearly 50 countries submitted artwork to the 2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge, sending in beautiful artwork illustrating what people can do to help coral reefs on land and at sea. Artwork in the competition was judged in two categories based on age. The winning entries in each category are beautiful pieces of artwork as well as excellent illustrations of how this ridge-to-reef approach to conservation can be used to preserve, protect, and restore coral reefs.

Vote for your favorite artwork in the Science Without Borders® Challenge!

Written by

The Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has introduced a new prize in the Science Without Borders® Challenge—and you can help select the winners!

Join us on Facebook to vote for your favorite entries to our annual student art contest. Finalists with the most likes in each category by Monday, May 23rd will receive the new “People’s Choice” award along with a $50 scholarship.

A winner will be chosen from each of the categories, one for younger students 11-14 years old, and another for older students, 15-19 years old. All you have to do to participate is “like” your favorite images in our finalist galleries on Facebook:

2022 Science Without Borders® Challenge Finalists: 15-19 year old students

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is pleased to announce the finalists in our 2021 Science Without Borders® Challenge! This international student art contest engages students in important ocean issues through art.For this year’s competition, students were asked to illustrate one …