From the Bow Seat 2014 Ocean Awareness Student Contest Results - 11.14.2014

From the Bow Seat began as an environmental documentary written and produced by Linda Cabot in 2011. The purpose of the film was to educate the public on the biggest environmental threats facing the Gulf of Maine and featured a wide range of local experts including fishermen, lobster biologists, and ornithologists. From this film sprang an essay contest for high school students (locally and globally) as a way to raise awareness of these issues and inspire students to become good stewards of the ocean.

This contest has evolved over the last 3 years and recently, was renamed the Ocean Awareness Student Contest; this year’s theme was oceanic plastic pollution. For participants to our Marine Debris Webinar Series this past spring, the topic might ring some bells!

From the Bow Seat called on contest participants to think about the following basic questions we have about this issue, namely:

• Why is there so much plastic in our oceans?
• Where does it come from?
• How does it affect ocean animals and ecosystems?
• Is this a problem worthy of international attention?
• Are there alternatives to plastic that could help alleviate the ongoing problem of ocean pollution?
• How does our “throwaway culture” impact the amount of plastic in our oceans?

Students were given the option to either create a piece of art that depicted this issue, write an essay on the subject, or something that would lead others to take action. The 2014 contest winners were recently announced and their works ranged from beautiful mixed-media art pieces (Dafne Murillo, Lima, Peru), persuasive essays (Katherine Rigney, Freeport, ME), and informative videos (Angelina Liu, Flushing, NY).

Read more about the the winning submissions and view galleries of students’ work by visiting From the Bow Seat and read up on the 2015 contest coming up!

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