Student wins award in international environmental arts competition

Irving—Sahana Kumar, a sophomore at Coppell High School, won a Notable Award for her Performing Arts submission to the 2024 Ocean Awareness Contest, sponsored by Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs (Bow Seat). Kumar, whose piece was selected from more than 5,000 entries from around the world, will be featured in Bow Seat’s Gallery, which showcases environmental advocacy artwork created by a global community of youth. 

The 2024 Contest, “Tell Your Climate Story,” challenged participants to become climate witnesses and creatively express their personal experiences, insights, and perceptions about our changing climate reality. Kumar’s Performing Arts submission, titled “Year by Year,” focused on the melting of the Icelandic glaciers due to climate change.

Bow Seat’s annual Ocean Awareness Contest, now in its 14th year, is the world’s largest youth environmental program for creative arts, providing students with a platform to creatively explore, express, and advocate for conservation issues. Since its launch, the contest has engaged more than 38,000 middle and high schoolers from all 50 U.S. states and over 140 countries, and has awarded over $780,000 in scholarships to help advance teens’ creative talents and passion for the environment.

“The Bow Seat crew and team of 80 judges want to thank all our participants for their courage, creativity, and honesty as they created these personal and compelling works of art, poetry, prose, film, music, dance, and more,” said Linda Cabot, founder and president of Bow Seat. “Reviewing these submissions was an incredibly moving experience, and they have formed a new collection of persuasive climate knowing and witnessing.”

“When I traveled to Iceland, I witnessed firsthand the effects of climate change,” Kumar said. “Then, when I wrote ‘Year by Year’, I was able to combine this experience with my passion for music and singing. It definitely challenged me, but it was ultimately a rewarding experience. I saw how I could use my other passions to make a difference when it came to climate change.” 

The 2025 Ocean Awareness Contest, “Connections to Nature: Looking Inside, Going Outside,” is open through June 9 to students ages 11-18 worldwide.

SOURCE Bow Seat Ocean Awareness Programs