2024 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 2024 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 wonder of life in the deep sea.
We received a record number of submissions this year—over 1,700 entries from 82 different countries—making the selection process challenging yet rewarding. The submissions were breathtaking. Prepare to be amazed by their artwork, which showcases deep-sea creatures and ecosystems and emphasizes the urgent need to preserve the deep sea.
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:
"Under the Sea" by Nadia Cho, Age 16, United States of America
Artist's Statement: In the bathyapelagic zone, tubeworms rest around hydrothermal vents. These tubeworms may seem a little grotesque by their mass numbers, but they are important for the surrounding life by the hydrothermal vents. The tubeworms have a symbiotic relationship with chemosynthetic bacteria inside their body. As the tubeworms transfer hydrogen sulfide from the vent water, the bacteria converts the hydrogen sulfide to food that the tube worm can eat. Since there are many tubworms, it provides a perfect shield to the Zoarcid fish who seek shelter from predators in the deep. Although the tubeworms may provide safety for a few species, they reminded me of the corals in coral reefs and how they provide the same thing for many different species. Hence why I illustrated the type of ecosystem the tubeworms live in and emphasize the beauty of its ecosystem.
