Project Assistant：SUNG,YU-HSUAN

In 2021, the Taiwan Marine Education Center organized the 2nd Marine Popular Science Picture Book Competition to encourage schools of various levels to integrate marine popular science education into their curricula, specifically through lesson plans in which instructors teach and guide students to create picture books. Such lesson plans integrate marine popular science, art education, and creative writing to help develop students’ knowledge of marine popular science and its connections with their everyday lives.

With the overarching theme of “protecting the ocean,” the works submitted as entries in the Marine popular Science Picture Book Competition may cover any of the following three topics: “protecting the coast,” “education on seafood consumption,” and “plastic reduction initiatives.” A total of 142 submissions were received from students and teachers at schools of various levels across Taiwan, who were divided into five groups: the elementary school group, the junior high school group, the senior and vocational high school group, the college group, and the teacher group. The initial review and final review were held in February of this year (2022). A total of 42 winning works were selected: 3 for the excellence award, 5 for the merit award, and 10 as honorable mentions in the elementary school group; 3 for the excellence award, 3 for the merit award, and 5 as honorable mentions in the junior high school group; 1 for the merit award and 1 as an honorable mention in the senior and vocational high school group; 2 for the excellence award, 3 for the merit award, and 3 as honorable mentions in the college group; and 2 for the excellence award and 1 for the merit award in the teacher group. The list of winners was announced in March.

From August to November this year, the winning works will be exhibited at the Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Kinmen County, the National Library of Public Information, the Children's Branch of the Hualien City Library, the National Museum of Maritime Science and Technology, and the Anping Library (a branch of the Tainan Public Library), providing opportunities for more teachers and students as well as the general public to learn about marine science and appreciate the outstanding picture books created by this year’s competitors.