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:
"The Common Fangtooth" by Abbie Luthena, Age 16, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Artist's Statement: Anoplogaster cornuta. Found in depths of 500-5000 metres below the water surface of tropical and temperate oceans, a fangtooth’s teeth are the largest in the ocean in body size ratio so that it can envelope its prey whole. At first glance, this fish may be considered ugly. Although during the drawing process, I found the intricate lines of their prehistoric, bony exterior profoundly beautiful. Each line interlinks with the other to form intricate patterns like henna tattoos. The fangtooth represents the strange wonder of the deep sea that has encapsulated me since I was little. Deep sea creatures are powerful. They are impenetrable from time and conflict unlike the abrupt clock of humanity. These deep creatures do not gleam in the sea surface sunlight, but their power to survive the ages in a timeless, ominous manner is the wonder of the deep sea for me.
