Bow Seat Creative Action for Conservation, a Boston nonprofit, runs the Blue Planet Awareness Contest (formerly the Ocean Awareness Contest), which it calls the world's largest environmental youth programme for the creative arts. The 2027 theme, Nature of Truth: Environmentalism in an Age of Disinformation, asks students aged 11 to 18 anywhere in the world to show what environmental disinformation looks like through art, writing, performance, film or multimedia. Entry is free, and winners in every category earn cash awards of up to $1,000.

What you get:

• Cash awards of up to $1,000, with Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention winners in each category and in both age divisions
• Unrestricted prize money: there are no rules on how you spend it
• Special awards on top: a $500 Voice of the Sea Award for spoken word in each division, and ten $500 We All Rise Prizes for US students who identify as Black, Indigenous or Latine
• Winning work shown in Bow Seat's online gallery, exhibitions, anthologies and social media
• A participation certificate for every entrant, and eligibility for opportunities such as the Future Blue Youth Council

What you'll do:

• Create an original piece on the 2027 theme, Nature of Truth: Environmentalism in an Age of Disinformation
• Enter one of seven categories: Visual Art Handcrafted, Visual Art Digital, Poetry and Spoken Word, Creative Writing, Film, Performing Arts (Music and Dance), or Interactive and Multimedia
• Submit online with a reflection and the contact details of an adult sponsor such as a teacher, parent or mentor

Key dates:

• Contest open now
• Submissions close June 7, 2027 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time
• Winners announced November 2027

More information:

• Full rules on the Rules and Eligibility page: https://bowseat.org/programs/blue-planet-awareness-contest/rules-eligibility/
• Submission requirements by category on the How to Enter page: https://bowseat.org/programs/blue-planet-awareness-contest/how-to-enter/
• Bow Seat's FAQ: https://bowseat.org/programs/blue-planet-awareness-contest/faqs/

• Students aged 11 to 18 enrolled in middle school, high school or the homeschool equivalent, anywhere in the world
• Junior Division for ages 11 to 14, Senior Division for ages 15 to 18, by age at the time of entry
• Students who have started college or university are not eligible; high school students dual enrolled in college classes are
• Individuals or groups of any size; every group member must be 11 to 18, and prize money is split evenly
• One entry per category per student, so up to seven entries in total
• Work must be original, created between September 2026 and June 2027, and never entered before; AI-generated work is disqualified
• Entries must be in English or carry an English translation; videos may use English subtitles
• An adult sponsor is required, and students under 13 need a signed parent or guardian consent form