MARPOL at 50: Preventing Marine PollutionK-12 Student Bilingual Calendar Art Contest
Students in grades K-12 are invited to participate in the Annual Bilingual Calendar Art Contestsponsored 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). Submissions will be accepted from youth across the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean) from today, January 9th, 2023 to April 1st, 2023 on the theme described below:
Students are asked to submit an original poster that creatively depicts the history and importance of protecting the planet and the ocean from the impact of shipping by recognizing the importance of the MARPOL Convention (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships). The theme reflects the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) 2023 World Maritime Day Theme.
The Torrey Canyon oil spill in 1967, the largest oil disaster at the time, was one of the key moments that led to the development of the MARPOL Convention, in force since 1973.
Today, MARPOL helps prevent pollution of the sea by:
MARPOL Annex I oil,
MARPOL Annex II- noxious liquid substances in bulk,
MARPOL Annex III- harmful substances in packaged form,
MARPOL Annex IV sewage
MARPOL Annex V garbage from ships, and
MARPOL Annex VI air pollution from ship emissions, and regulation of energy efficiency.
The Convention has evolved through the years, including the 2018 adoption of the Initial IMO Greenhouse Gas Strategy to decarbonize the sector as soon as possible before the end of this century.
Can you think of ways to depict innovative and sustainable maritime industry practices to protect the planet and the ocean from the impact of shipping?
Twelve entries (six from grades K–5 and six from grades 6–12) will be selected as finalists. The winning artwork will be featured on NAMEPA, USCG, 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.
