
Artwork: Grand Prize Grade 6-12, Clean Ships, Clean Earth Karolina K. – Grade 12, Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Highlands, New Jersey, United States
WESTON, CT—July 31, 2018 Two grand prize winners and 10 finalists have been selected from over 500 entries in the 2018 Better Shipping for a Better Future 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 2019 bilingual calendar showcasing the winning entries will be printed in English and Spanish.

Artwork: Grand Prize Winner Grade K-5, Better Shipping for a Better Future, Tarikka A. – Grade 5, Millstone River School, Plainsboro Township, New Jersey, United States
Students were asked to submit an original poster depicting creative and imaginative ideas about how to make shipping better for people and for the marine environment. 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 people use every day. Engineers, marine biologists, environmental experts, computer programmers, and other scientists work every day to make shipping better by being cleaner, quieter, safer, and more energy efficient.
The winning artwork is 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 Better Shipping for a Better Future artwork visit namepa.net/art-contest.
Grand Prize Winners
Grades K-5
Tarikka A. – Grade 5, Millstone River School, Plainsboro Township, New Jersey, United States
Grades 6-12
Karolina K. – Grade 12, Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Highlands, New Jersey, United States
Finalists
Grades K-5
Sofia N. – Grade 3, Art Class by Irina Martynova, Houston, Texas, United States
Neema J. – Grade 2, Bellows Spring Elementary School, Ellicott City, Maryland, United States
Hannah B. – Grade 5, Blackrock Elementary, Coventry, Rhode Island, United States
Dakota B. – Grade 5, Cedar Road Elementary, Chesapeake, Virginia, United States
Leonel L. – Grade 5, Unidad Educativa “Pedro Fermín Cevallos”, Ambato, Tungurahua, Ecuador
Grades 6-12
Deyanire Sarahi I. – Grade 10, Cetmar # 13 Taller de Habilidades Artísticas, Topolobampo, Sinalo, México
Danielle N. – Grade 6, McDonogh School, Owings Mills, Maryland, United States
Kaiya J. – Grade 6, Mayfield Woods Middle School, Elkridge, Maryland, United States
Graziella C. – Grade 9, Carmel High School, Carmel, California, United States
Daniela P. – Grade 9, La Estancia School, Comayagüela, Francisco Morazán, Honduras
Honorable Mention
Arden A. – Blackrock Elementary, Coventry, Rhode Island, United States
About the North American Marine Environment Protection Association
The North American Marine Environment Protection Association (NAMEPA) is a marine industry-led organization of environmental stewards preserving the marine environment by promoting sustainable marine industry best practices and educating seafarers, students and the public about the need and strategies for protecting global ocean, lake and river resources. For more information visit www.namepa.net.
About the United States Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard is one of the five armed forces of the United States and the only military organization within the Department of Homeland Security. Since 1790 the Coast Guard has safeguarded our maritime and environmental interests around the world. The Coast Guard is an adaptable, responsive military force of maritime professionals whose broad legal authorities, capable assets, geographic diversity and expansive partnerships provide a persistent presence along our rivers, in the ports, littoral regions and on the high seas. Coast Guard presence and impact is local, regional, national and international. These attributes make the Coast Guard a unique instrument of maritime safety, security and environmental stewardship. For more information, visit www.uscg.mil.
About CIP-OAS
The Inter-American Committee on Ports (CIP) of the Organization of American States (OAS) brings together the National Port Authorities of all 35 sovereign nations of the Americas. CIP promotes competitive, sustainable, inclusive and secure maritime sector development by facilitating policy dialogue at the highest governmental and corporate levels. With close to 100 public and private members representing leading institutions from the maritime industry, CIP strengthens, in collaboration with its partners, institutional and human capacities through seminars, workshops, conferences, courses and scholarship programs. CIP priority areas include, in addition to promoting the protection of the marine environment and sustainable port management practices, competitiveness and logistics; protection and security; tourism and services to ships; legislation and regulation; and CSR and gender equality. For more information, visit http://portalcip.org/.