Artwork by eighth grader Sophie W. of Michigan, winner of the 2021 annual NOAA Marine Debris Program Art Contest. This year’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program Art Contest is officially open for students in kindergarten through eighth grade in all U.S. states and territories.
Students can submit their artwork now through Dec. 15 that answers the following questions:
- How does marine debris impact the ocean and Great Lakes?
- What are you doing to help prevent marine debris?
Entries will only be accepted by electronically and by mail. If submitting electronically, send the artwork as a JPEG, PNG, or TIFF file.
The winning artwork will be featured in the NOAA 2022 Marine Debris Calendar.
The NOAA Marine Debris Program holds the annual art contest to reach students and help raise awareness about marine debris. NOAA believes that engaging youth is an important part of addressing the problem of marine debris.
The resulting calendar, featuring the winning artwork, provides a daily reminder of how important it is to be responsible stewards of the ocean. Students are highly encouraged to check out resources on this website for information about marine debris.
Artwork and description requirements
- One entry per student
- The entries must be on a single sheet of 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper, landscape.
- Use white, nonglossy paper. Do not laminate.
- Any art medium may be used such as colored pencils, crayons, paint but computer graphics will not be accepted. Artwork must be hand-drawn by the student.
- Artwork must be flat with no glued pieces or glitter and able to be scanned.
- Avoid labeling debris items with any brand names in the artwork.
- A description of no more than 75 words must accompany the artwork. Space is provided on the entry form.
- Label each mail entry on the back in pencil — marker bleeds through the artwork — with student’s name, age and grade, along with the teacher’s name, school name, address and telephone number.
- If submitting your entry electronically, accepted file types are: JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. Make sure the files are high resolution (scanning is encouraged), not crooked, and is easy to see and/or read.
For more contest and submission guidelines, visit the website and download the entry form.
