The JPI Oceans Art and Photo Awards welcomed entries from around the world, illustrating the artists perception and awareness of our marine environment. Unanimously selected by the independent jury, the winner of the open competition is Masoud Soheili with Where is our Future. The jury hailed the image as a very strong call to action exposing the enormous challenge of marine pollution while capturing the perspective of the youth looking at the legacy the last decades have left.
Where is our Future - Masoud Soheili
In the JPI Oceans project competition, the jury selected New Shades of Blue of Filipa Bessa, a biologist and researcher participating in the JPI Oceans I-Plastic project. The jury was particularly impressed by the harmonious composition which draws the observer in for a second look. “Looking closer, rather than life you discover it is trash, uniting the beauty and repulsion.”
New Shades of Blue - Filipa Bessa
Open competition:
In second place: Walking on thin ice from Mario Hoppmann
Walking on thin ice - Mario Hoppmann
In third place: Bay ice brigands from Hermann Luyt.
Bay ice brigands - Hermann Luyt
JPI Oceans project competition
In second place Deep sea nodule extraction and nodule epifauna from Autun Purser, Deep sea ecologist and project partner in the MiningImpact 2 project.
Deep sea nodule extraction and nodule epifauna - Autun Purser
In third place Scientists at sea, a series of artworks from Sarah-Marie Kröger, student of marine and environmental sciences and participant in the HOTMIC project.
Scientists at sea - Sarah-Marie Kröger
The two winners will be awarded a prize of €1000. The four runner-ups will each be awarded a prize of €500. In collaboration with ECO Magazine, winning entries of the Photo and Art awards will be included in the upcoming Spring issue of the magazine and will have an extended feature on the ECO website.
Art and photography are vital to close the emotional gap between society and our marine environment. With the Art & Photo Awards JPI Oceans wishes to bolster the role of both media in tackling the challenge of communicating about the environment covering most of our planet.