Earth Science Week 2018 Contest Winners Announced
Visual Arts Contest Winner
Namit Vernekar of Charlotte, N.C., won first place in the visual arts contest with a creative and colorful drawing of two sides (real and imaginary) of Earth.
Finalists:
- Janiru Sumanasiri
- Esther Gammill
- Saachi Tamboli
- Abhiraj Das
Students in grades K-5 made two-dimensional artworks illustrating the theme “Earth and Art.”
Photo Contest Winner
Matt Meisenheimer of Janesville, Wis., won first place in the photo contest with an image of Kalalau Valley in Kauai, Hawaii.
Finalists:
- Hannah Kawar
- Aaliyah Craven
- Mary Francis Garcia
- Kate Ragusa
Submissions illustrated the theme “Inspired by Earth.”
Essay Contest Winner
Udbhavy Akolkar of Scottsdale, Ariz., won first place in the essay contest with a paper on earth in various forms of writing, from J.R.R. Tolkien to Edgar Allan Poe.
Finalists:
- Caden Longwater
- Vikram Kolli
- Jaecho Lee
- Lluvia Perez
Students in grades 6-9 wrote essays of up to 300 words addressing this year’s theme, “Finding ‘Art’ in Earth.”
Video Contest Winner
Noah Resnick won first place in the video contest with a public service announcement about ways science (and the Earth) can be artful.
Finalists:
- Carrie Hunter and Austin Hermann
- Zihao Jiang, Chen Hong Xue, Yu Hongyi, Lu Yichang, Ding Keyi, Liu Zhengyi, Wang Yihan, Zhang Xin Yao, Ding Zi Jun, Chen Yan Yan, Hu Rui, Yin Hao Ran, Cao Yi Jia, Wu Di, and Sun Dasheng
- Vinuth and Janiru Sumanasiri and Malika Gunasekara
- Rossalyn Buck and Emily Straetz
Individuals and teams created brief, original videos that tell viewers how artistic expression stems from the natural world, through “Earth Expressions” in their part of the world.
Congratulations to the winners, finalists, and hundreds of students and others who entered. Each first-place winner receives $300 and a “Geoscience Handbook.” Entries submitted by winners and finalists are posted online at https://www.earthsciweek.org/contests/2018.