Project Assistant：CHU,SSU-CHIEH

To encourage students and educators at all educational levels to integrate marine science, esthetics, and literary creativity into picture book creation, the Ministry of Education has long entrusted the Taiwan Marine Education Center (TMEC) with organizing the Ocean Science Picture Book Competition. On June 2, 2026,the ministry held the Award Ceremony for the Third Ocean Science Picture Book Competition at the National Taiwan Science Education Center to recognize the outstanding achievements of award-winning students and teachers. This year’s competition was themed “Sustainable Oceans.” After preliminary, secondary, and final rounds of review, a total of 68 winning entries were selected in March 2026, including 20 from the elementary school category, 18 from the junior high school category, 14 from the senior high school category, 8 from the college and university category, and 8 from the teacher category.

　　Since 2015, the Ministry of Education has designated the first week of June as Ocean Education Week, aligning with World Oceans Day on June 8. During this week, schools at all educational levels are encouraged to strengthen the implementation of marine education courses and activities to encourage participation in marine education and enhance students’ fundamental ocean knowledge and literacy. Building on this initiative, the ministry launched the Ocean Science Picture Book Competition in 2021 to further promote marine education through creative expression.

　　This year’s entries featured various stories told from the perspective of marine organisms, enabling readers to learn about their unique characteristics while fostering a deeper interest in the marine environment. The entries explored several topics, including marine biological resources and global marine debris, drawing inspiration from local observations and everyday experiences. By incorporating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals into their narratives, the entries reflected the commitment of students and teachers to ocean sustainability and demonstrated their efforts to translate that commitment into creative practice.

　　To provide more students, educators, and members of the public with opportunities to discover and appreciate outstanding ocean science picture books while inspiring greater curiosity regarding the marine environment, the award-winning entries have been made available in the 2026 Ocean Education Week section of the TMEC website at National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU). The collection aims to encourage the public to connect with, appreciate, and better understand the ocean. Readers are kindly invited to visit the website and explore these outstanding works.