Ocean Night launches a contest among young students to raise awareness about the importance of the ocean
Life began in the oceans. They cover the majority of Earth's surface and are the largest ecosystem on the planet. They provide us with food, oxygen, energy, and moreover, billions of people depend on the physical, chemical, and biological functioning of this great environmental system to live. Additionally, oceans regulate the climate and are a key factor in mitigating climate change. However, their health is in danger, and therefore, so is the health of all living beings. For this reason, it is essential to raise awareness about the richness and importance of marine ecosystems, the challenges they face, and the challenges we also face as members of a global citizenship, and what we can do to improve and preserve them through our personal decisions.
With the aim of raising awareness about this issue and educating the public, the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA CSIC-UIB) is launching the "Ocean Odyssey Challenge," a contest for small ideas to achieve big transformations through the younger generations. This initiative is part of the European project Ocean Night, which brings together 5 marine centers of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and has the collaboration of SeaTeach.
The "Ocean Odyssey Challenge" is aimed at primary and secondary school students in the Balearic Islands who want to jointly develop an idea, action, or innovative project to raise awareness about the importance of the oceans. The contest aims to inspire creativity in the exploration, management, and interaction of young people with marine environments.
This initiative also aims to showcase the scientific work carried out at IMEDEA and CSIC marine centers in general, while encouraging students to think critically about ocean conservation, marine life, and sustainable practices.
The winning groups will have the opportunity to implement a project or idea that they have not been able to carry out due to economic limitations. The students and teachers involved will also be invited to IMEDEA to tour the facilities and research laboratories, where the award ceremony will take place.
Challenge: creativity and innovation for ocean conservation from the classroom
The "Ocean Odyssey Challenge" aims to be an exciting contest that not only promotes environmental responsibility but also showcases the creativity and passion of young people in promoting ocean culture.
To participate, the group must submit a single application through a representative teacher within their category.
CATEGORIES
Primary Education
Secondary Education
Only one proposal per educational center and category may be submitted.
Proposals must be creative and innovative, reflecting how to develop a project that results in an activity or service that helps raise awareness about the importance of the ocean. This should include from ideation, design, planning, execution, and evaluation, to a Gantt diagram (or schedule) and a detailed budget of what its implementation would entail. In addition, proposals must be related to one or more of the 8 themes that make up the Ocean Night project (which can be further explored in this link):
THEMES
- A Sea of Science
- Ocean and Climate
- A Sea of Life
- A Sea of Food
- A Sea of Health
- Ocean and Society
- A Sea of Challenge
- Caring for the Sea from Home
The jury, composed of technical and scientific staff from IMEDEA and other CSIC marine science centers, will mainly assess the creativity, educational value of the proposal, and its overall impact on society. The innovation and replicability of the project, as well as the incorporation of elements of sustainability and environmental responsibility, will be taken into account. It will also be highly valued to involve both students and the community in general.
There will be one winning proposal per category, and both will be announced on April 20, 2024. The prize will consist of implementing the winning ideas or projects, for which up to a maximum of €2,000 will be allocated for their realization. In addition, the winning groups will be able to visit IMEDEA, touring its facilities and research laboratories alongside scientific and technical staff.
TIMELINE
February 16, 2024: Publication of the call.
April 12, 2024: Deadline for project submission. They can be submitted at the following link until 23:59h.
April 23, 2024: Notification of results: the proposals with the highest scores in each category will be selected. All centers will be notified, both the selected and the non-selected ones.
April 30, 2024: Visit to IMEDEA and Awards Ceremony. Winning schools will be invited to IMEDEA for a visit to the center and an awards ceremony. We hope that the winning proposals will be carried out between May 1 and June 24.
For more details, download the rules of this contest here.
GET INVOLVED AND PROMOTE A WAVE OF CHANGE WITH YOUR CLASS!