If the ocean could talk, what stories would it tell?

That’s the question we asked primary school children all over Portugal for the second edition of the EMSA children’s art competition.

The objective of the competition is to raise awareness among primary school children of the importance of the marine environment and the importance of sustainable ocean management.

Children were asked to develop pieces of art based on the theme of the competition – the artworks could be anything from a painting to a video. The young artists worked in groups so they could debate and discuss the issues behind the competition during the creative process.

By the time the application period closed, we had received many entries from schools across continental Portugal and the islands, all of which are members of the Escola Azul network of schools.

The winning schools will be awarded prizes at a special ceremony in EMSA’s headquarters on 3 June.

Browse a selection of the entries in the gallery below: