Deadline: June 1, 2025
Eligibility: Open to all 9-12th grade students.
Submissions: To register and submit, please complete the following form (apply.ncf.edu/register/mbsummer). For questions, please email mbsummer@ncf.edu.
The Sarasota Bay estuary, a vital part of Florida's ecosystem, faces significant threats from challenges such as climate change, overfishing, ocean acidification, and pollution. We need the next generation of environmental leaders to address these challenges head-on. At New College of Florida, we are committed to advancing environmental science, and we are reaching out to high school students to participate in our first ever Marine Lab Scholars Summer Program.
The Challenge:
Choose one of the following challenges facing Sarasota Bay: climate change, overfishing, ocean acidification, or pollution. Then, propose a specific solution that could help mitigate this threat, using proper scientific terms and concepts to describe your proposed solution.
Good luck!
Prizes:
Judges will select first, second, and third-prize winners in each genre, as well as finalists.
- First Prize: $600
- Second Prize: $300
- Third Prize: $100
- Five Finalists: $50 each
All qualifying entrants will be invited to participate in the Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center camp on the New College campus during the Summer of 2025.
Winners and finalists will have their work collected and published.
In addition, winners and finalists are eligible for full- and partial-tuition undergraduate college scholarships. Winners who apply, are admitted, and enroll at New College will receive a full-tuition scholarship. Finalists who apply, are admitted, and enroll at New College will receive a 50% tuition scholarship.
Submission Guidelines/Process:
Teachers are welcome to submit entries on behalf of current or former students with the student’s permission (teachers must indicate they are doing so through the submission platform). However, students do not need to have a sponsoring teacher to submit their work.
Students do not need to have taken, or be enrolled in, any particular courses to enter the contest.
Contest entries must be in English.