That’s a Wrap on 2022 Contest Submissions! Next Up: Judging
June 22, 2022To all those who entered the 2022 Contest, we think you’re fintastic!
We launched our 11th annual Contest with the theme, “The Funny Thing About Climate Change,” with the goal of challenging students to learn about climate change and its impact on the ocean and to explore new and refreshing ways to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis that will ultimately engage more people into the climate conversation.
“This year we stepped out of our comfort zone and created a theme that was a bit different. Comedy, satire and irony have always been effective and entertaining ways to address difficult subjects. We hope that this year’s theme “The Funny Thing about Climate Change,” allowed students to discover the enduring power of humor. This amusing form of human communication can diffuse tension, bring people together and also explore serious and sensitive issues like climate change.” — Linda Cabot, Founder and President
Thank you to everyone who participated!
We are so excited to welcome the newest Contest participants to the Bow Seat alumni family.
We are a strong and ever-growing community of nearly 30,000 whose numbers represent a global movement of creative young people who want to advocate for a more sustainable and livable future.
The students who enter our Contest do so to express their love of the earth, with the goal of improving our environment.
Students submitted entries from all around the world!
2022 Contest Entry Statistics:
- Submissions: 4,261
- U.S. states and territories: 54
- Countries: 83
- New participants: 88%
- Returning participants: 12%
- Junior entries: 41%
- Senior entries: 59%
We value the diverse perspectives from participants around the world!
What’s next?
First, our team will review all the submissions to make sure they are in the right categories, all of the links work, and there are no other issues. This makes the work easier for our judges so they can focus their time and attention on the content of the submissions. With over 4,000 to review, this phase takes us a few weeks.
During the main round (July-August), our awesome team of judges reviews submissions in their respective categories. Bow Seat judges are artists, writers, educators, scientists, creators, activists, and of course, ocean-lovers! We also invite former Ocean Awareness Contest winners to participate as Alumni Judges. Meet the crew!
This year, our judges will be looking for innovative pieces that challenge our expectations for what climate change messaging should look like. They will also be evaluating each submission on how well it relates to the Contest theme, craftsmanship, creativity and voice, and effectiveness in raising awareness and inspiring action around climate change.
Last but not least, we host roundtables in September for the final phase of judging. During these vibrant discussions, we review our favorite pieces together, talk about what makes them stand out, and consider which should win top awards and scholarships. This is our favorite part of the process!
Winner announcements:
Preparing to announce the winners takes about a month and keeps us busy throughout October.
Each winner will be contacted in early November so that we can congratulate them personally before we share the news publicly about a week later. You can expect to see the final results posted first on our website, then shared to our email list and on social media by the middle of November.
Between now and then we will be sure to share some judging highlights on social media from behind-the-scenes! We will be featuring our judges throughout the summer so you can get to know them and gain insight into their process.
What’s next for 2023?
Be sure to keep an eye out for our announcement of our 2023 Ocean Awareness Contest theme in early September!
In the meantime, how can you talk about climate change in a fresh way?