Thank you for your interest in the “Better Shipping for a Better Future” 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 the American States (CIP-OAS).  We welcome submissions from students enrolled in grades K-12 living in the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean).  Students living outside the Americas are welcome to apply, provided they have one or more parents on active duty with the U. S. Coast Guard.  (En Español:  www.namepa.net/concurso-de-arte)

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 like clothes, cars, furniture, toothbrushes, and computers.  

Engineers, marine biologists, environmental experts, computer programmers, and other scientists work every day to make shipping better- cleaner, quieter, safer, and more energy efficient.  As shipping gets better, the marine environment becomes healthier, more livable for plants and animals, and cleaner for human use.  Can you think of a way that shipping makes the future better for people and for the marine environment?  Or, do you have an imaginative idea about how to make shipping even more environmentally friendly?

Students are asked to submit an original poster depicting creative ideas about how shipping makes the future better for people and the marine environment, or how shipping can be even more green.   

Twelve finalists will receive a certificate and a calendar featuring the artwork from each finalist.  Two of the finalist will be selected as grand-prize winning artists and will also receive a $100 cash prize and a U.S. Coast Guard prize package.  There will be six finalists and one grand prize winner from each of the K-5 and 6-12 categories.

THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS MARCH 30, 2018, AND WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY MAY 15, 2018.