NAMEPA 2019 Student Art Contest Winners Announced

Two grand prize winners and 10 finalists have been selected from 190 entries in the 2019 “All Aboard! There’s a place for you in the maritime community!” calendar art contest sponsored by the North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and the Inter-American Committee on Ports of the Organization of American States (CIP-OAS). Each year, these organizations invite students in grades K-12 throughout the Americas to create a poster on a theme related to the marine environment. A 2020 bilingual calendar showcasing the winning entries will be printed in English and Spanish.  

Students were asked to submit an original poster that creatively depicts ways to embrace diversity and inclusion in the maritime community and highlight the broad range of opportunity the industry has to offer. 

Maritime shipping has existed for thousands of years- ever since the earliest humans took to the water to find food, building supplies, and adventure. Throughout its history, shipping has evolved into the most environmentally friendly and safest way to transport goods around the world.  Today, the maritime shipping industry transports about 90% of the items and energy people use every day.   

Now, more than ever, there are technical training and education programs available to people of all backgrounds to ensure a rewarding career in the maritime sector.  Many people are finding more opportunities - engineers, marine biologists, environmental experts, computer programmers, and other scientists as well as leadership, administrative and decision-making roles - every day to make shipping better by being cleaner, quieter, safer, and more energy efficient. The diversity of opportunities in the maritime industry is as diverse as the ocean itself. Successful members of the marine industry can come from any educational, geographic, or cultural background.
 
The winning artwork will be featured on NAMEPA, Coast Guard, and CIP-OAS websites. Finalists will receive a certificate and a calendar with the artwork from all 12 winners. Two grand-prize winning artists (one from each of the grade brackets) will receive, in addition to the certificate and calendar, a $100 cash prize and a USCG prize package. 

To view the winning “All Aboard! There’s a place for you in the maritime community!” artwork visit namepa.net/art-contest.

Grand Prize Winners

Grades K-5: Lucy Z - Grade 1, Collins Elementary School, Livingston, New Jersey, United States

Grades 6-12: Brent M – Grade 8, Art Club of Bishop Michael Eldon School, Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas 

Finalists

Grades K-5

Giuliana T - Grade 1, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, Summit, New Jersey, United States

Lucy Z - Grade 1, Collins Elementary School, Livingston, New Jersey, United States

Leilani C – Grade 1, Weeksville Elementary School, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States

Armeen J – Grade 4, Settlers Way Elementary School, Sugar Land, Texas, United States

Kai C – Grade 4, Weeksville Elementary School, Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States

Lila R – Grade 5, Blackrock School, Coventry, Rhode Island, United States

Grades 6-12 

Jin Z – Grade 6, Millburn Middle School, Millburn, New Jersey, United States

Tarikka A – Grade 6, Community Middle School, Plainsboro, New Jersey, United States Alexa D – Grade 7, Home School, Staten Island, New York, United States

Jalesha S – Grade 8, Maritime Academy Charter School, Philadelphia, PA, United States

Gianna F – Grade 7, Seven Lakes Junior High, Katy, Texas, United States Bent M – Grade 8, Art Club of Bishop Michael Eldon School, Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas