CONTEST RULES

CONTEST FORM

CONTEST BROCHURE IN PDF FORMAT

Includes Theme, Notes, Rules, and Application Form
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PAST CONTEST THEMES
AND WINNING POSTERS

2001 CONTEST
2000 CONTEST
1999 CONTEST
1998 CONTEST
1997 CONTEST
1996 CONTEST
1995 CONTEST

For more information, email OceanPals@BeneathTheSea.org. Or write to Ocean Pals, Beneath The Sea, 495 New Rochelle Road, Bronxville, NY 10708.

Beneath The Sea's Ocean Pals Poster Contest for Children is a national environmental education-through-art program. Its purpose is to encourage young people to become aware of and share their concerns for the marine environment through poster art. Their messages will be brought to the widest possible audience to create a stronger commitment to protect the environment on which all life on this planet depends.

2001-2002 Theme

Aliens in Our Waters

Illustrated by invasive exotic species which are alien to the ecosystem. These invasive species can be plants, animals or other organisms. Why the concern? What do they look like? Where have they invaded? How do they spread? How can they be stopped? What can you do?

Deadline: December 21, 2001

Ocean Pals News Flash! At Risk! All coastal marine life as destructive seaweed (Caulerpa taxifolia) threatens kelp forests and their related fish, marine mammals and sea birds. Tiny invaders in America's rivers, lakes and streams are disrupting our marine ecosystems. Alien jellyfish, the Terminators, are clogging fishing nets and decimating shrimp larvae and fish eggs.

Alert! One of the newest invasive species to hit U.S. waters, the fishhook flea, is thriving in Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes. Marching on and on and on, green crabs have successfully established residency on the East Coast and now in California. Hydrilla, another aquatic weed, has clogged lakes and rivers as far west as California and Washington. Hitching a ride are the zebra mussels, a tiny animal with the power to shut down entire electric utilities by clogging water intake pipes. Turn over almost any rock uncovered by low tide in the Northeast and you will probably uncover a small purplish-black alien, the Pacific crab. Several human activities contribute to the long distance accidental transport of aquatic organisms. However, not all alien invaders are from far away lands. The flathead catfish, native to our land, now inhabits 18 states where it was previously unknown. It lives for 20 years, weighs 50 pounds and feeds mostly on other fish.

Awareness is Urgent! The rate of invasions has been rapidly increasing. To learn more about them and what we can do to prevent further invasion, check the web site below. Put your findings into a poster to show the world how we can act NOW to recognize and stop these aliens in our waters.

www.invasivespecies.gov

Winners will be presented on Sunday, March 24, 2002 at Beneath The Sea 2002's Ocean Pals Theater, which will feature slide presentations, sea songs, hands-on workshops, contests, prizes, and special guest appearances.

Funding for this project is made possible through Beneath the Sea and grants from the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, the Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center, and the Scuba Network.