2023 Science Without Borders® Challenge Finalists: 15-19 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 older group of applicants, students 15-19 years old:
"The Way Back" by Teresa Hyoju Chang, Age 16, Republic of Korea
ARTIST’S STATEMENT: Blue whales, the gentle giants of the sea, are creatures that enliven the ocean’s breath while flaunting their mottled blue hues. As historical carbon cleaners of the ocean, the animals have been around since 50 million years ago, only to be distressed by the industrialization of humanity. Even after the intervention of the International Whaling Commission in 1946, the unrestrained hunting of the mammals in the early 1900s and constant vessel strikes and entanglements in fishing gear have resulted in the severe decrease of the recovering population. The flowerbeds under the creature's shadow serve as a reflection of the Blue Whales' recolonizing population. Juxtaposing the empty fields, the calendulas represent a glimpse of hope for the survival of the majestic animals, stressing their recovery from the brink of extinction through its representation of grief, remembering, and joy.
