Bow Seat Receives Prestigious Grant to Launch National Student Competition Focused on Marine Debris
September 20, 2016Today, Massachusetts-based Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs (Bow Seat) launches the inaugural Bow Seat Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition. This new Competition challenges middle and high school students from the United States to implement advocacy projects in their schools and communities, with the goals of educating the public about marine debris, inspiring people to change their behavior, and engaging them in activities that reduce or prevent marine debris.
This Competition is made possible by a Prevention through Education and Outreach grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program.
Unique to this Competition is the utilization of the creative arts in the students’ advocacy projects as a tool to raise awareness about litter and marine debris, stimulate discussion about the issue, and invite others to participate in finding solutions to the problem.
For the past five years, Bow Seat has run the Ocean Awareness Student Contest, an international Contest in which students research, interpret, and express their views about ocean pollution through visual art, poetry, prose, and short films. Nearly 4,000 middle and high school students from around the world have participated in the Ocean Awareness Student Contest since its inception, and Bow Seat has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to talented students. The 2017 Ocean Awareness Student Contest is now open.
“We believe in the power of the arts to raise awareness of marine debris issues in ways that inspire the public to take action,” said Linda Cabot, Founder and President of Bow Seat. “We hope our programs empower teens to think creatively about solutions to marine debris, and we are thankful for the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s support in helping us provide youth with the opportunity to engage in hands-on experiences to make a real difference in their communities.”
By expanding Bow Seat’s programming through the Marine Debris Creative Advocacy Competition, Cabot—a trustee of the New England Aquarium and board member of Women Working For Oceans—hopes to instill awareness, curiosity, and ultimately stewardship of coastal and ocean ecosystems in young students.
Students participating in the Competition will develop leadership, critical thinking, project management, communications, and teamwork skills. The top winners will receive exposure and support for their projects as well as financial awards of up to $5,000, which can act as scholarships for continued study or as mini-grants for students to continue their project.
More information on how to participate in the Competition is available at www.bowseat.org.
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Contact: Alyssa Irizarry, Program Manager, [email protected]
About Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs: Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs is a Boston-based nonprofit whose mission is to empower the next generation of ocean caretakers through art, science, and advocacy. Bow Seat’s annual Ocean Awareness Student Contest challenges middle and high school students from around the world to communicate the science of pressing ocean issues through art, poetry, prose, or short films. Visit www.bowseat.org
About the NOAA Marine Debris Program: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program envisions the global ocean and its coasts free from the impacts of marine debris. Its mission is to investigate and prevent the adverse impacts of marine debris. The NOAA Marine Debris Program supports outreach and education projects that engage the public, and especially youth, in behavior changing activities as a way to reduce and prevent marine debris. Visit https://marinedebris.noaa.gov