2027 Submission Deadline Released!
For official rules, deadlines, and updates, please refer to the competition organizer. Aralia provides competition information for student reference and is not affiliated with the competition organizer.
Blue Planet Awareness Contest (formerly Ocean Awareness Contest)
Hosted by Bow Seat, the Blue Planet Awareness Contest provides a platform for young people to understand environmental issues through artistic creation and creative thoughts, explore their relationship with the changing world, and become advocates of positive change.
Interested in the competition?
Competition Overview
Eligibility
11-18 years old
Entry Fee
Free
Submission Deadline
June 7, 2027
Results Announcement
November 2027
Competition Details
1. Eligibility
The Blue Planet Awareness Contest is open to students ages 11–18 worldwide, participating individually or in groups. Students must enter the division corresponding to their age and provide an adult sponsor’s contact information.
- Junior Division: Ages 11–14
Senior Division: Ages 15–18
2. Theme
The 2027 theme is “Nature of Truth: Environmentalism in an Age of Disinformation.” Participants are invited to explore environmental disinformation and its impact on environmental action. Through art, writing, performance, film, or multimedia, contestants can raise awareness and encourage critical thinking about misinformation in natural and digital environments.
3. Competition Category
Visual Art: Handcrafted, Visual Art: Digital, Poetry & Spoken Word, Creative Writing, Film, Performing Arts: Music & Dance, Interactive & Multimedia.
4. Results
The contest winners will be announced in November. Winners and their sponsors will be notified via email before we announce the results publicly.
5. Prizes
Cash awards are presented to the Junior and Senior Divisions winners across five categories.
- Gold Award: $1,000
- Silver Award: $750
- Bronze Award: $500
- Pearl Award: $250
- Distinguished Honorable Mention: $50
- Honorable Mention: $50
Winners in both divisions receive cash awards across all categories:
- We All Rise Prize: $5,000 total for U.S. students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or Latine, with five $500 awards per age division.
- Voice of the Sea Award: Two $500 awards recognizing outstanding spoken word poetry, one for each age division.
- Bay State Award: Massachusetts students can receive up to three $100 awards per age division.
- Hometown Award: Boston students can receive up to three $100 awards per age division.
Winners may have their work featured in exhibitions, publications, anthologies, social media campaigns, and Bow Seat’s online gallery, helping them share their environmental message with a wider audience.
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Past Winning Submissions
Submission Details
1. Category Submission Limit
Students may submit one entry per category, meaning that you may enter up to seven pieces, one in each category. If you submit more than one entry in a category (for example, two poems), additional entries will not be counted or judged.
2. Written Reflection
In addition to the submission, students are required to submit an English reflection of 100–300 words. The reflection should explain the student’s creative process, what they learned from the contest theme, and the message behind their work. Judges prioritize the reflection’s ideas and authenticity, not spelling or grammar. Students must answer all five questions:
- Why did you choose your medium, and how have you used it before?
- How did you develop the idea for your piece?
- What inspired your work and creative process?
- What did you learn about Nature of Truth: Environmentalism in an Age of Disinformation?
- What message do you want viewers to take away?
3. Submission Checklist
- Contact information
- Your submission with a title
- Your written reflection
- Works cited (if applicable): List of sources for any ideas, quotes, or facts used that are not your own
- Contact information for an adult sponsor (required for all participants)
- Parent/guardian consent (required if under 13 years old).
Prepare to compete at the highest level