AWARE Kids Art Contest

Art Contest 

2010 International year of Biodiversity 

Threatened Underwater Animals: You Can Make a Difference

The variety of different animals, plants and fish on planet Earth is AMAZING. The word we use to describe this is biodiversity. It is all about the number of different species living in one place like your garden or the ocean itself.

How many plants and animals actually live in the ocean? No one knows for sure, but some scientists think there could be millions! And they all have an important job in the ecosystem, keeping our water planet healthy. 

Project AWARE Foundation believes conserving threatened aquatic animals is really important for the biodiversity of underwater environments. Why? Losing one species can put a whole ecosystem out of balance.  Lots of ocean animals are already endangered or at risk of extinction so the more we know about the oceans biodiversity the more we can do to protect it.

You can celebrate marine biodiversity by joining the year-long, global art contest for children ages 3 - 12.  First, find out about threatened animals that live in the ocean. Think about why they might be threatened, it could be pollution, overfishing or habitat loss.

Pick one animal you really like and create a painting or drawing to show the animal in its ocean environment. On the back of your artwork, tell us:

• 1) Why you like this animal
• 2) Why you think it should be protected
• 3) Why you think it is threatened
• 4) Suggest one specific step people can take to protect it

Three winners will be chosen from each global region and age group - 3 to 5 years, 6 to 8 years and 9 to12 years.  Artwork will be judged by the Project AWARE team and associates.

Selected winners will receive a special Ocean Ambassador Plaque along with a certificate and global recognition on the Project AWARE website. All entries must be received by your local Project AWARE office by 8^th November 2010.

Lesson plans, games and activities on aquatic environments can be found in the AWARE Kids Teachers Guide (5.3MB), DVD and AWARE Kids activity book. Project AWARE encourages teachers to use the AWARE Kids materials and this art contest as classroom tools to discuss the importance of biodiversity in our oceans.

Download the art contest information, terms and conditions in English, Deutsch, Italiano, Français, Dutch, Portuguese and Español and the art contest flyer.

We hope you enjoy learning more about our amazing oceans - have fun and good luck!