The ocean’s most consequential workforce is microscopic. Plankton, marine bacteria, archaea, symbiotic microalgae: the species too small to see with the naked eye produce more than half of Earth’s oxygen, drive nutrient cycling, anchor every marine food web, and quietly regulate the climate. They are the engine room of the blue planet. They are also, for most students, invisible.

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has spent fourteen years using one of the most underrated tools in ocean education to fix that: a paintbrush. The 2026 Science Without Borders® Challenge, the Foundation’s annual international student art competition, has just announced its winners. This year’s theme, Microscopic Marine Life, drew nearly 900 entries from students aged 11 to 19 in 65 countries. The brief asked them to make the invisible visible.

15 to 19 age group

First Place went to Sophia (Jiye) Lee, a 17-year-old at Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, New Jersey, for Ocean’s Hidden Jewel Box. The piece is a mixed-media work on a custom-cut wooden canvas shaped to mimic an oxygen molecule, two circular panels bridged by a rectangular insert. Inside the panels, microscopic marine organisms (diatoms, crystal-walled Acantharia) are rendered as gemstones glowing against deep ocean blacks.

“When people see my work, I hope they recognize that significance is not defined by scale. I want them to feel a sense of awe for the unseen and to realize that impact can extend beyond just the source. Just as my piece breaks traditional borders of a canvas, the contribution of these organisms breaks the borders of the ocean to sustain every breath we take, no matter where we are.”

Sophia (Jiye) Lee, First Place, 15-19

Second Place went to Qing Yang Cheng, 17, from Canada, for The Deep Microcosm of Life, a detailed portrayal of the archaea that thrive around hydrothermal vents and the chemosynthetic ecosystems they sustain in the absence of sunlight. This is biology that operates by rules most surface readers do not know: not photosynthesis but the harvesting of sulfur, methane, and dissolved minerals into living tissue.

Third Place went to Hyang Yu Lee, 17, from the Republic of Korea, for Sea Manual: an inventive illustration of marine bacteria’s decomposition and nutrient-cycling work, rendered in the unmistakable visual language of an IKEA instructional manual. Step one: a fallen whale. Step two: bacterial decomposition. Step three: nutrients return to circulation. The joke lands; the science does too.

11 to 14 age group

First Place went to Olivia Shin, 14, a student in Calgary, for The Giant and the Invisible: A Story of Ocean Recycling. The work is charcoal on a piece of recycled cardboard. It depicts a whale fall: the slow decomposition of a blue whale carcass on the seafloor, broken down over decades by microscopic organisms whose collective work sustains entire deep-sea ecosystems. The material choice and composition are not incidental. Both reinforce the theme of interconnection.

“I was inspired by how bacteria clump together and work with microorganisms, which to me resembled the game of Tetris. I hope that my artwork can encourage others’ thoughts and interest in marine life.”

Olivia Shin, First Place, 11-14

Inside the studio: Olivia Shin at work

Olivia’s winning charcoal-on-cardboard piece did not arrive on the page fully formed. She worked through it over weeks, building the whale fall in layers, refining the bacterial mats and sediment textures with her teacher, Ms. Lily Kim of About Art Studio in Calgary. The process shots below offer a rare look at the discipline behind the final image.

Second Place went to Jieming Zhang, just 11 years old, from China, for The Touch of Life: a vivid illustration of the symbiotic microalgae (zooxanthellae) that live within coral tissue, photosynthesising and feeding their host in a partnership without which tropical reefs would collapse. With ocean warming bleaching reefs at scale, this is exactly the biology a generation of young readers needs to understand.

Third Place went to Eason Liang, 14, from Irvine, California, for The Invisible Engine of the Ocean, a piece that reimagines microscopic marine life as the literal machinery powering Earth’s natural systems. The metaphor is precise. Without the ocean’s microscopic life, the carbon pump stalls, food webs unravel, and atmospheric oxygen levels fall. The engine is not optional.

Why this matters

Each winner receives a scholarship of up to $500 from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. The prize money is the smallest part of what the competition delivers. The larger return is what the students themselves carry forward.

“This year’s theme challenged students to explore a world that is rarely seen but absolutely essential to life on Earth. Through their artwork, these students transformed complex scientific ideas into powerful visual stories, helping others better understand the critical role microscopic marine life plays in sustaining our oceans and our planet.”

Amy Heemsoth, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Education, Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation

Marine phytoplankton are responsible for roughly half of global net primary production, the foundation of nearly every ocean food web (Field et al., Science, 1998). The biological carbon pump driven by these organisms transports an estimated 10 to 12 gigatonnes of carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea each year, a climate-regulating service whose collapse is one of the most studied risks of ocean warming (Henson et al., Nature Climate Change, 2022). When a 14-year-old draws a whale fall in charcoal, or an 11-year-old paints symbiotic algae inside a coral polyp, they are not making decorative work. They are translating the biggest planetary processes most adults never learn about into something a stranger can grasp at first glance.

Now in its 14th year, the Science Without Borders® Challenge has put generations of young artists through that translation exercise. The Foundation’s bet, year after year, is that the artists who learn to render the ocean’s hidden machinery on a canvas at 14 will be the same people negotiating policy on its behalf at 34. The 2026 cohort suggests the bet is paying off.

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The full gallery of winning artwork and high-resolution images are available via the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation announcement. For information about the competition and the 2027 theme, visit LOF.org/SWBChallenge.

All artwork © the named artists, reproduced courtesy of the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation. SEVENSEAS Media thanks Liz Thompson, Chief Communications Officer at the Foundation, for sharing the announcement with our community.

April 10, 2026. The Board of Directors of The International SeaKeepers Society has announced a leadership transition, extending its deepest gratitude to outgoing Chairman Jay Wade and welcoming Dr. Mark Luther as the organization’s first scientist Chairman, a historic milestone for the ocean conservation NGO.

During his tenure, Jay Wade provided steady, thoughtful leadership, guiding the organization through a period of growth while remaining anchored in SeaKeepers’ mission to advance oceanographic research, conservation, and marine education. A passionate advocate for the yachting and boating community, Wade championed a vision of transforming private vessels into platforms for scientific discovery, expanding the organization’s global reach and strengthening its role as a bridge between ocean science and the maritime industry.

A first scientist Chairman for SeaKeepers

Dr. Mark Luther brings decades of expertise in physical oceanography and maritime systems, alongside a lifelong connection to the water. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently serves as Professor and Director of the Center for Maritime and Port Studies at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science.

With over 30 years of experience supporting oceanographic observation systems, including longstanding work with NOAA’s Tampa Bay Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System, Dr. Luther has been at the forefront of integrating science with real-world maritime operations. His leadership extends across key regional and federal committees, where he collaborates closely with the U.S. Coast Guard, port authorities, and maritime stakeholders to address environmental challenges tied to marine transportation.

A dedicated member of the SeaKeepers community, Dr. Luther has served as Chair of the organization’s Scientific Advisory Council, helping to guide and elevate its scientific initiatives. He is also an avid boater and U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain, having spent more than four decades navigating the waters of Tampa Bay and Florida’s west coast.

“With years of dedicated service to SeaKeepers, Mark brings a deep understanding of our mission to this role. It is exciting to see him step into the position of Chairman and help guide the organization forward.”

Jay Wade, outgoing Chairman, The International SeaKeepers Society

Dr. Luther’s appointment signals an exciting new chapter for SeaKeepers, one that deepens the organization’s scientific leadership while continuing to engage the global fleet in meaningful ocean research, education, and conservation.

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About The International SeaKeepers Society. The International SeaKeepers Society works with the yachting community to take part in research, conservation, and educational efforts that advance the health of the ocean. Learn more at seakeepers.org or @seakeepers on social.

Adapted from a press release issued by The International SeaKeepers Society on April 10, 2026.

Falmouth, Cornwall, UK. Falmouth Harbour is trialling the world’s first all-concrete marina pontoon float, designed and built by the team at ScaffFloat in neighbouring Penryn, in a first step to removing all Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) floats from its leisure and commercial operations.

The Harbour has pledged to move away from EPS products in the light of mounting evidence that polystyrene microplastics in the world’s oceans inflict serious damage on the marine environment and life within it. Polystyrene, globally used for its lightness and buoyancy, is made from fossil fuels, is virtually un-decomposable, and when it breaks down into microplastics can be ingested by marine life with devastating consequences.

“The amount of broken-up polystyrene around our creeks and rivers, particularly after this year’s storms, is awful to see and very hard to clean up without damaging the delicate ecology of our shorelines. Expanded Polystyrene fragments in the marine environment pose a serious ecological concern, as seabirds, fish, turtles and other fauna mistake EPS beads for food, which can cause internal injuries or death; entering the food chain poses health risks to humans as well.”

Vicki Spooner, Environment Manager, Falmouth Harbour

Inside the Reef Float: an inert, recyclable alternative to EPS

Penryn marine company ScaffFloat Ltd has tackled the challenge of finding alternatives to traditional pontoons by inventing the “Reef Float.” Their first commercial prototype, made entirely from concrete, has been undergoing trials beneath a Falmouth Harbour pontoon. ScaffFloat developed the new product as part of a business development project that received £284,787 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund as part of Cornwall’s Good Growth Programme.

The Reef Float’s buoyant core is made using ultra-low-density waterproof concrete, instead of EPS foam, and the core is then cast inside a high-strength engineered concrete skin. In the highly unlikely event that a Reef Float ever failed, the materials would simply sit inertly as stone in the marine environment, whereas a cracked-open EPS float exposes its polystyrene foam core to the marine elements.

“We replaced a failing EPS pontoon float at Falmouth Harbour with a Reef Float, where it survived all that this January’s storms could throw at it. It’s what we would expect, of course, as we’ve designed it to be strong with an ultra-long life. But it’s also completely inert in the marine environment and 100 percent recyclable, so a game-changing alternative to the EPS floats currently used all over the world.”

Toby Budd, Founder and Managing Director, ScaffFloat

Local innovation, global stage

Local MP Jayne Kirkham, checking out the new Reef Float in Falmouth, called it “exactly the kind of innovation we want to see in Cornwall: local businesses developing practical but cutting-edge solutions to global environmental challenges. Cutting polystyrene pollution from our waters while creating skilled jobs is a win for our marine environment and our economy. I’m proud to see government funding helping projects like this lead the way.”

“Falmouth Harbour has made the conscious decision to move away from EPS foam pontoons in all our operations, and it’s fantastic that our neighbours at ScaffFloat are the first company to offer a plastic-free alternative. Reef Floats are easily installed, in situ, on a rolling basis, as and when we need to replace old EPS floats, and they have a zero-cost, 100 percent recyclable end-of-life disposal. It’s another tremendous example of Cornish ingenuity, and we look forward to working with them into the future.”

Miles Carden, CEO, Falmouth Harbour

The Reef Float team has been shortlisted for the Innovation Award at Marina26 in Australia this May, with an invitation to attend and present at the biggest marina conference in the world, demonstrating what a major issue EPS has become for the marina industry and legislative authorities alike.

Australia itself lost more than 1,000 pontoons in the 2022 Queensland floods, where they broke up and created an environmental disaster known as the “White Spill,” with the ocean and beaches covered with EPS balls that were almost impossible to clear up.

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Learn more. For more information on Reef Float and parent company ScaffFloat, visit scafffloat.co.uk/reeffloat. For more on Falmouth Harbour, including its wide-ranging environmental initiatives, see falmouthharbour.co.uk.

Adapted from a press release issued by Louise Midgley Communications, on behalf of ScaffFloat and Falmouth Harbour.