Bow Seat Blue Planet Awareness Contest 2027: Win Up to $1,000
Bow Seat’s 2027 Blue Planet Awareness Contest invites students ages 11–18 worldwide to create original work about environmental disinformation. Submit art, writing, performance, film, or multimedia by June 7, 2027, for a chance to receive cash awards up to $1,000.
Bow Seat Blue Planet Awareness Contest 2027: Win Up to $1,000
Bow Seat Creative Action for Conservation is accepting entries for the 2027 Blue Planet Awareness Contest. The international creative contest is open to eligible students ages 11–18 and offers cash awards of up to $1,000. Entries are due June 7, 2027, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Students submit original work through Bow Seat’s online system; the contest does not accept submissions by email or physical mail.
The current contest was formerly called the Ocean Awareness Contest. Bow Seat’s official overview now calls it the Blue Planet Awareness Contest and presents the 2027 cycle as open. The theme is Nature of Truth: Environmentalism in an Age of Disinformation. Students are asked to think critically about natural and digital environments and show what environmental disinformation looks like through creative work. The official prompt frames art as a way to raise awareness and respond to false or misleading claims that delay environmental action.
2027 Contest Details
| Detail | Current information |
|---|---|
| Organizer | Bow Seat: Creative Action for Conservation |
| Status | Open for 2027 submissions |
| Theme | Nature of Truth: Environmentalism in an Age of Disinformation |
| Deadline | June 7, 2027, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time |
| Award | Cash awards of up to $1,000; category and division awards apply |
| Eligible participants | Middle and high school students ages 11–18 worldwide, including the homeschool equivalent |
| Divisions | Junior, ages 11–14; Senior, ages 15–18, based on age at entry |
| Entry formats | Handcrafted and digital visual art, poetry and spoken word, creative writing, film, performing arts, and interactive or multimedia work |
| Entry limit | One entry per student in each category, up to seven categories |
| Application method | Online account and submission form |
| Official pages | Contest overview, rules and eligibility, and how to enter |
The exact closing time matters: Bow Seat says its online submission platform closes automatically at the deadline. Plan to finish uploads early enough to resolve file, link, or account problems before the portal closes. There is no entry fee, but the student must complete the online form and provide the required supporting information.
Understanding the 2027 Theme
The prompt, Nature of Truth: Environmentalism in an Age of Disinformation, connects environmental issues with the ways people encounter information. Bow Seat describes disinformation as false information deliberately created to mislead. It may be used to create doubt, delay action, or weaken support for environmental solutions. The contest asks young creators to consider what environmental disinformation looks like, what effects it can have, and how people can identify it and continue working toward solutions.
A strong project can focus on one clear question rather than attempting to cover every environmental issue. A student might examine how an inaccurate claim about climate or conservation is presented, how that claim affects a community, or what evidence helps a viewer distinguish a supported claim from a misleading one. Other students may focus on the role of social media, greenwashing, manipulated images, or the challenge of evaluating environmental claims online. The official prompt invites creative interpretation while judging whether work addresses the annual theme.
Bow Seat’s Resource Studio is the official place to begin research. The current “How to Enter” page describes resources such as articles, journalistic media, primary literature, interactive quizzes, and videos related to environmental disinformation. It also links skills-based materials about art-making, filmmaking, spoken word, and storytelling. Use those materials to investigate a focused idea, and cite outside facts, quotations, or media when they inform the final work.
The work should make its connection to the prompt legible to a viewer. For instance, an infographic might compare a misleading environmental claim with credible evidence, while a short film could follow a character trying to verify a viral post. A poem, dance, painting, or interactive project can take another route. The format is open across several categories, but clarity, originality, and fit with the theme remain important. Bow Seat’s current rules prohibit AI-generated work and say such entries may be disqualified, so the creative work must be made by the student or student group.
Who Can Enter
Bow Seat describes the contest as international and open to students ages 11–18 who are enrolled in middle school or high school, or the homeschool equivalent. A participant enters the division that matches their age at the time of entry: Junior Division is for ages 11–14, and Senior Division is for ages 15–18. Students who have started college or university are not eligible. Bow Seat says it may request proof of age, identity, or eligibility.
Students may enter individually or as a group, including a class, club, or team. Groups may be any size, but they must select one group leader as the contact person. List every group member in the submission, and make sure every member meets the age requirements. The group enters the division of its group leader, and any award money is divided evenly among members. A student’s name may appear in only one entry per category, for a maximum of seven entries across the contest’s seven categories.
Every participant must provide contact information for an Adult Sponsor. This can be a teacher, parent, guardian, mentor, or other supporting adult. The sponsor is a contact for Bow Seat if it has difficulty reaching the student; the student still creates and submits the work. A participant under 13 must also have a parent or legal guardian complete the required COPPA consent form as part of the submission. Build time for this step into the application plan.
Entries must be original and created during the 2026–27 academic year, or between September 2026 and June 2027. Work must be submitted in English or include an English translation. Videos may be in another language if they have English subtitles. Previously submitted work from an earlier Bow Seat Blue Planet Awareness Contest is not eligible for the 2027 contest. The official rules also prohibit AI-generated work, which they treat as plagiarism.
Categories and Materials to Prepare
The contest accepts seven categories: Visual Art: Handcrafted; Visual Art: Digital; Poetry & Spoken Word; Creative Writing; Film; Performing Arts: Music & Dance; and Interactive & Multimedia. Match the piece to the category that best reflects how it was made. For example, digital illustration belongs in Visual Art: Digital, while animation belongs in Film. Interactive and Multimedia is intended for interactive or participatory projects and works combining three or more of the other categories.
Requirements differ by format, so consult Bow Seat’s full submission requirements before preparing the final files. Handcrafted and digital visual art can be submitted as JPG, PNG, GIF, or PDF, with up to three images. Each requires a progress photo or, for digital work, a screenshot showing the piece in progress. Creative writing is submitted as a Word document or PDF, with page limits that depend on division. Poetry and spoken-word text also has formatting and length limits; a spoken-word recording can be submitted as a public video link.
Film entries must be 2–4 minutes long and submitted through a public link on Google Drive, YouTube, or Vimeo. Performing arts entries should also be 2–4 minutes, with footage of the student performing or showing the composition process. Interactive and multimedia entries need a short written description and may include up to five supporting images, screenshots, or text documents; a browser link or short demonstration video may also help judges understand the work. These are examples of the current rules, not substitutes for reading the specifications for the chosen category.
Every entry requires an English written reflection of 100–300 words. Bow Seat asks the student to describe the creative process and what they learned through exploring the theme. Its reflection prompts ask why the student chose the medium, how the idea developed, what inspired the piece, what they learned about environmental disinformation, and what message they want viewers to take away. A Works Cited list or other source credits are required when the work uses ideas, facts, quotations, or existing media that are not the student’s own. Some categories have additional evidence, format, script, or link requirements.
How to Submit
Use Bow Seat’s current online submission process:
- Read the rules and choose a division. Confirm the student’s age and school eligibility, select the correct division, and check the group and sponsor rules if applicable.
- Study the theme and research the idea. Read the official 2027 prompt and explore the Resource Studio. Keep track of sources for facts and materials used in the project.
- Create original work in a suitable category. Review that category’s current file, length, and evidence requirements. Do not submit AI-generated material.
- Prepare the reflection and credits. Write the required 100–300 word reflection in English and prepare citations for outside sources where applicable. Confirm any progress images, video links, scripts, or project descriptions required for the category.
- Create an account and complete the online form. Enter the student’s contact information, title, category, reflection, Adult Sponsor details, and files or links. For participants under 13, submit parent or guardian consent. A student submitting several categories only needs one account, but each work needs its own submission.
- Submit before June 7, 2027, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Bow Seat does not accept entries by email or physical mail. The platform closes at the stated deadline, so submit well before the final hours and confirm that the entry is complete.
The online form allows a student to save and return to a submission after starting an account. Teachers may also use one account to submit multiple student entries, but each individual student needs a separate entry unless students are entering as a group. Check that group membership, titles, file links, and sponsor email are correct before final submission.
Awards and What Participation Offers
Bow Seat advertises cash awards of up to $1,000. Its awards information says prizes are offered in categories at both Junior and Senior Division levels, with special awards and recognition also described on the official awards page. The precise prize available depends on the category and award; students should read that page for the current details rather than assume every winner receives the maximum amount. For group entries, Bow Seat’s rules say the award money is divided evenly among group members.
Participation can also give a student a structured way to research an environmental issue, develop a creative portfolio, and communicate an idea to an international audience. Bow Seat describes certificates, exhibitions, publications, and special opportunities among the benefits of its broader program. Those opportunities are separate from guaranteed cash awards and depend on Bow Seat’s selection and program decisions.
Judges consider how well an entry addresses the annual theme, artistic voice and originality, craftsmanship, and whether it follows category requirements. A polished piece that misses the prompt or ignores the submission rules may not be competitive. Students should therefore check both the creative idea and the technical checklist before uploading: theme fit, title, correct division, file readability, accessible video links, sponsor information, required reflection, and any credits or progress evidence.
Official Links and Final Checks
Start with Bow Seat’s 2027 contest overview to read the prompt and confirm the published deadline. Use the rules and eligibility page for age, school, group, originality, and academic-year requirements. The how-to-enter page has the sequence and category-level submission specifications, and the awards page explains cash awards and special recognition.
The contest remains open for the 2027 cycle, and Bow Seat currently gives the deadline as June 7, 2027, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Because rules can be revised, revisit those official pages while preparing a submission and before uploading. Follow the current instructions on Bow Seat’s own platform if any details differ from a summary here.