Kids WaterSense Contests

As the global water crisis reaches boiling point, it’s imperative to involve the younger generations in the education around responsible water management. After all, failing to address the issue now will only create further problems for those who are going to be tasked with cleaning up our planet for years to come.

A great way to start is by providing all the necessary water-saving tools that could help to educate the kids whilst also trimming down your household bills. This way, it will be much easier for them to take on good habits and better understand the reasons behind them.

The Kids WaterSense Contest is a platform for young people to learn about environmental issues through art-making, explore their relationship to a changing world, and become advocates for positive change. Students ages 11-18 from around the world are invited to participate.

How to enter:.
Step 1:
This is an international contest open to middle and high school students ages 11-18. Make sure you read all of the Contest rules, submission requirements, and other details before you get started

Step 2:
Research and choose an inspirational scientist, activist, artist, educator, or other hero who is working to solve climate change issues. Create a piece of art, writing, or media that highlights their efforts, organizations, and/or positive impacts. We are familiar with the amazing work of environmental giants like Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough. We challenge you to introduce the Bow Seat community to a Climate Hero whose work we may not know about yet – but should.

Step 3:
Write your reflection to accompany your submission, regardless of category. It is like the introduction to a book or an artist’s statement in a museum. The judges will not lower your score for a poorly written reflection, but writing a thoughtful and personal reflection will certainly help the judges understand you and your work better, and you will likely do better in the Ocean Awareness Contest!

Your reflection should describe 1) your creative process and 2) what you have learned through your exploration of the Ocean Awareness Contest theme. Use the following questions to guide your writing:

What inspired your work and creative process?
Why are you interested in the arts?
What feelings did the process of creating (art, writing, film, music, dance, interactive/multimedia) raise for you?
What is your message to viewers of your artwork?
After doing research on climate change and our oceans, what have you learned?
Beyond individual actions like recycling, what actions will you collectively engage in with your community to tackle climate change?
How does this Climate Hero’s efforts make you feel about the future?
Reflection Requirements:

Length: Minimum of 100 words
Your reflection must be written in English.

Step 4: Submit
Students must submit their work to the email address hopehumannature@gmail.com by 25th June 2023.

The 2023 Ocean Awareness Contest results will be announced in November 2023. Winners and their sponsors will be notified via email before the results are publicly announced.

Our judges are artists, writers, teachers, scientists, and of course, ocean-lovers! Each year, we also invite a cohort of Bow Seat student alumni and emerging artists to participate in Contest judging.

Judges consider:

How well submissions address the annual theme of the Contest;
Demonstration of artistic voice, originality, and imagination;
Craftsmanship, including quality, technique, and skill in chosen medium; attention to detail; and accuracy in communicating issues; and
If a submission meets category requirements (such as length, file type, etc.).
Judging begins immediately after the Contest ends, and we take the time to fairly judge each and every entry to the Contest. We receive thousands of entries, and our team of judges puts in thousands of hours of cumulative work each year reviewing your submissions.

We know that you’re anxious to hear Contest results. We take an enormous amount of pride in the care we put into the Contest, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to do so!