National Geographic Calls On Kids To Design Ocean Flag

Top Designs to be Judged by Greats in Ocean Exploration

NEW YORK - National Geographic Kids and the National Geographic Society invite kids to create a flag to fly on a National Geographic research ship during the Ocean Now expedition in 2010. The Ocean Flag Contest aims to engage children in ocean exploration and conservation.

The online contest at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Ocean-flag-contest is open to kids ages 8 to 14 and will be judged by renowned ocean researchers Robert Ballard, Sylvia Earle, Enric Sala, David de Rothschild and Nancy Knowlton. The judges will pick the top 10 designs, and kids will then vote online for the winning design. The winning flag will be hoisted above the National Geographic Ocean Now expedition ship in 2010. The winner will receive a patch bearing his/her flag design, as well as select National Geographic books and DVDs. The contest runs until Feb. 20, 2010, and the winner will be announced online in April 2010.

“As we continue our expeditions in 2010, we hope to engage children in the dialogue about conservation and inspire them to enjoy and care for the ocean,” said Sala. “We need everyone’s help, but children are especially important. The future of the ocean depends on their involvement now and throughout their lives.”

For design inspiration, the National Geographic Kids Web site features amazing articles, photos and videos of the world under the sea, including a Q&A with Sala, a shark quiz and fun facts about leatherback turtles, jellyfish, coral reefs and underwater exploration.

The National Geographic’s Ocean Now expeditions are an exploration, research and conservation project to find, survey and help protect the last healthy, undisturbed places in the ocean. By studying how marine ecosystems work without human interference, we can learn how to help healthy reefs thrive, help unhealthy reefs recover and better preserve the ocean, which covers more than two-thirds of our planet.

The Ocean Now team is working with local marine scientists and conservation organizations to document these aquatic ecosystems. The data, they hope, will help establish new scientific baselines for intact — and critically important — environments. Information about recent expeditions can be found at http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/content/about-the-expedition/.

To enter the Ocean Flag Contest, kids must create a design for a flag on plain paper not exceeding 8 ½ x 11 inches in size. The design must represent ocean exploration and the protection of ocean ecosystems. Entrants also must write an essay, not exceeding 250 words, describing what inspired their design. The contest is open only to legal residents of the United States (excluding residents of Puerto Rico) who were 8 to14 years of age as of Nov. 1, 2009.
Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 20, 2010. Complete rules and details are online at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/contests/Ocean-flag-contest.

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