Art, education, and ocean stewardship
Ocean Pals
Ocean Pals brings young people, families and educators together to explore ocean life through art and marine science, and to consider how we care for the sea.
Register with Ocean Pals
2027 National Ocean Pals Poster Contest
Sharks in Balance: Healthy Sharks, Healthy Oceans
The 2027 poster contest focuses on sharks and the ocean life around them. A poster gives students a way to share what they discover and inspire others to care.
Four grade divisions, from kindergarten through high school, give students the opportunity to earn regional and national recognition. Families and educators can find the theme, poster requirements, printable entry form and regional mailing contacts together on the contest page.
Explore the 2027 poster contestFounded in 1986
The idea behind Ocean Pals
Recognizing a gap in ocean education for young people, Beneath The Sea founders JoAnn and Armand Zigahn, together with the Executive Board, established Ocean Pals to offer a creative way to learn about marine life and express ideas about the sea.
How Ocean Pals began
A creative beginning: the poster contest for children
Ocean Pals began as a poster contest for children, inviting young artists to share their concerns and appreciation for the marine environment through creative expression. What started as a regional initiative soon expanded into an international competition, engaging participants from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The posters show the creativity of young artists and bring their perspectives on the sea to a wider audience.
Photograph by Timothy Dalton, first-place winner in the General/Marine Life category of the 2015 BTS International Imaging Competition
Ocean Pals learning
Why Sharks Matter
Discover how sharks support healthy oceans and what makes these ancient animals vulnerable.
Explore the Shark Learning Hub
Creative marine education
Learning through observation and art
Reading, observation and discussion help young people investigate how ocean animals feed, find shelter and share their habitats. They can use what they discover to develop their own artwork.
Families and educators can support this process by asking what participants noticed and how those observations shaped their ideas.
Ocean education
Ocean Pals Learning Resources
Find a starting point for learning about ocean life. Ocean Pals connects marine science with observation, discussion and creative expression, giving young people ways to develop and share their ideas.
Explore Learning ResourcesStay connected
Receive Ocean Pals updates
Register your email address to receive updates about educational materials, activities and ways to participate with Beneath The Sea. Confirm your email address to complete registration.