<p>The Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Contest 2026 invites teenagers worldwide to respond to the theme "Your Story, Our Ocean: How Our Ocean Sustains, Protects, and Inspires Us" through creative writing, poetry, spoken word, visual art, film, music, dance, or multimedia. The contest, run by Bow Seat Creative Action for Conservation, uses the creative arts to engage young people with ocean conservation and climate issues.</p><ul><li>Open to students aged 11–18 enrolled in middle or high school; Junior Division (11–14) and Senior Division (15–18).</li><li>Free to enter; individuals or groups may submit, each with a named Adult Sponsor.</li><li>Cash awards of up to USD 1,000 plus participation certificates and publication in Bow Seat's youth environmental arts collection.</li><li>Submission deadline: 8 June 2026, 11:59 PM EDT.</li><li>Creative Writing and Poetry & Spoken Word are two of seven accepted submission categories.</li></ul><p>Entries are submitted online via the Bow Seat contest portal.</p>