2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge Finalists: 11-14 year old students
The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is delighted to announce the finalists in our 2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge! This international contest engages students in important ocean issues through art. This year we asked students to create a piece of art that highlights the beauty and importance of a marine species that is on the brink of extinction.
This year we received more entries than ever before. Over 1,200 entries flooded in from 67 different countries, and let us tell you, it was no easy feat to choose the finalists. We hope you will be as impressed with the submissions we received as we were.
Entries to the Science Without Borders® Challenge are judged in two categories based on age. Here are the finalists selected from the younger group of applicants, students 11-14 years old:
"The Guardian" by Kavitha Varatharajan, Age 14, Australia
ARTIST'S STATEMENT: Hawaiian Monk Seals are a greatly respected animal in Hawaiian culture due to their title as ‘guardians over human souls after death' and also their role as guardians of the Hawaiian ecosystem's balance. They are apex predators and thus keep many other sea creature populations under control. The squid and the tuna fish resting on and next to the seal show how reliant the ecosystem is on its guardian. The seal blends into the sand and background so that the fish and squid can stand out. Like how the seal protects the ecosystem from devastation and disarray. The seal brings life and peace to its ecosystem, which, though we can't see it, is being slowly destroyed by the extinction of the Hawaiian Monk Seal. We need the Hawaiian ecosystem's guardian to continue to protect its fragile balance and ensure the survival of many other species.
