What do you vote for?
Your creativity can be a vote for the future. World Ocean Day and Bow Seat: Creative Action for Conservation invite artists, illustrators, designers, and creatives of all ages to turn their vision into action through Vote for the Future, a global poster competition celebrating the power of art and civic engagement.
Create a bold, original poster that shows what you stand for—whether it’s a thriving ocean, a safer climate, environmental justice, or a future where people and planet can flourish together. Every submission is more than a piece of art. It’s a public declaration of what matters, a call for change, and a vote for the world you want to see.
The Core Requirement
Every submission must feature the phrase:
VOTE FOR ___________
The blank must be one of the three categories below, or a topic related to those categories. The phrase must appear clearly and legibly in the artwork.
This is the only required text. Everything else — composition, medium, style, color, scale — is entirely up to you.
The Categories
Participants must choose one of the following categories to be judged in. Note that the actual topic can be anything under the category’s umbrella.
1. Vote for the Ocean
Ex. Vote for whales
Ex. Vote for stricter restrictions on Antarctic krill fishing
Ex. Vote for 30×30
2. Vote for the Climate
Ex. Vote for clean air
Ex. Vote for climate adaptation
Ex. Vote for renewable energy
3. Vote for Environmental Justice
Ex. Vote for equal access to nature
Ex. Vote for Indigenous rights
Ex. Vote for holding polluters accountable
Artwork Requirements
– The phrase “Vote for ___” (filled with one of the three umbrella categories above or a topic related to that category) must appear clearly on the artwork
– Original work only — no AI-generated content of any kind, including AI-generated images, textures, backgrounds, or compositional elements
– Digital submissions only (they can be handcrafted, but the submission must be digital, i.e. no mail-in submissions)
File Requirements
– Accepted formats: PDF, JPG, PNG
– Minimum width: 800 pixels
– Files must be clear, high-quality, and easy to view
– Submit final work only: edits cannot be made after submission
Content Standards
Submissions must not contain offensive, discriminatory, or inappropriate content. World Ocean Day and Bow Seat reserve the right to disqualify any entry that does not meet these standards.
AGE CATEGORIES
Category A — Under 21
Open to any entrant who is under 21 years of age at the time of submission. This category celebrates emerging voices and the next generation of civic leaders and artists.
Category B — Ages 21+
Open to any entrant who is 21 years of age or older at the time of submission. Open to both established and early-career creatives.
Winners are selected and recognized separately in each category. Entrants may only submit in one category.
KEY DATES
September 1, 2026: Competition opens; submissions accepted
September 30, 2026: Submission deadline – 11:59pm ET. Late entries not accepted.
October 2026: Winners announced
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
The Ocean Project | World Ocean Day (worldoceanday.org)
World Ocean Day is building an international moment every 8th of June into a year-round movement dedicated to protecting our world ocean and mobilizing global action. World Ocean Day unites people around the world in support of a healthy, thriving ocean, and the communities and ecosystems that depend on it.
Bow Seat: Creative Action for Conservation (bowseat.org)
Bow Seat: Creative Action for Conservation empowers young people to become environmental advocates through art, writing, music, dance, film, and more. For over a decade, Bow Seat has championed the belief that creative expression is one of the most powerful tools for civic and environmental change.
By submitting an entry to the World Ocean Day Poster Competition, the entrant confirms that the submitted artwork is their own original work and that they hold all intellectual property rights in it.
The entrant retains full copyright ownership of their submitted artwork at all times. No copyright in the submitted artwork is transferred to World Ocean Day or any associated organisation as a result of participation in this competition or the selection of an entry as a winner or finalist.
By submitting an entry, the entrant grants World Ocean Day a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to reproduce, display, publish, and distribute the submitted artwork solely for the purpose of World Ocean Day promotional and marketing activities. This licence does not extend to commercial sale of the artwork, licensing to third parties, or any use unrelated to World Ocean Day marketing and communications.
World Ocean Day agrees not to alter, modify, or create derivative works from the submitted artwork without the prior written consent of the entrant.
The entrant will be credited as the creator of the artwork wherever reasonably practicable.