To mark World Ocean Day, GES4SEAS is excited to announce the winners of the MarinArt Challenge, an international competition that invited people to document urban art inspired by the ocean.

Developed as an ocean literacy initiative, the challenge aimed to increase ocean awareness by exploring how the sea is represented in public spaces. From murals and graffiti to street art and other urban expressions, MarinArt brought together images that reflect different ways of seeing, valuing and communicating the ocean.

The response was remarkable. In total, the challenge received 445 photos from 49 contributors across 27 countries. Most submissions came from Europe, but the collection also includes photos from the Americas, Asia and Oceania. Unfortunately, no contributions were received from Africa, highlighting an opportunity to expand the initiative’s reach in the future.

This year’s Contributor Award goes to Xabier Murgui, from Spain, who submitted an impressive 153 photos. Christina Pavloudi ranked second, with 37 photos, followed by Sonia Nieto, with 27 photos.

The Explorer Award goes to Christina Pavloudi, from Greece, whose contributions covered six countries: Australia, the Azores, Canada, Cyprus, Greece and Japan. Leire Lopetegui ranked second, with photos from five countries, followed by Anders Lanzén, with photos from four countries.

GES4SEAS congratulates all winners and thanks everyone who contributed to the challenge. The submitted photos will now support further work on how street artists represent the ocean, including themes related to marine biodiversity, human pressures and potential solutions.

Stay tuned for the results of this analysis and explore the MarinArt Challenge gallery here: https://www.ges4seas.eu/marinart-challenge-urban-art-for-europes-seas/