In celebration of Ocean Awareness Month, the Belize Fund is launching a national poetry contest for primary school students under the World Ocean Day 2025 theme “Wonder: Sustaining What Sustains Us.” This contest invites young ones to think about the ocean’s beauty, power, and importance in our lives, and why ocean health matters. Through poetry, students will explore how wonder leads to care, connection, and action for a more sustainable future.
Contest Duration: June 16 – 23, 2025
Winners Announced: June 30, 2025
Eligibility: Open to students enrolled in Standard 4, 5, and 6 in any primary school in Belize.
How it Works:
Each participant will write an original poem on this year’s theme and submit a video reciting the poem (no longer than 60 seconds). Poems may be recited in English or Belizean Creole.
In their video recorded poem, students should clearly express:
- What makes the ocean full of wonder
- Why the ocean matters
- Why should and how can we protect it
Rules and Guidelines:
- Participants must be a citizen or legal resident of Belize.
- All submissions must be original creations.
- Maximum video length: 1 minute (Any format)
- Clear audio and video quality
- Original work only (no plagiarized or AI-generated content)
- Students may use any poem style or form
- Participants may submit only one entry
- Video resolution must be 720p or higher. Blurry videos will be disqualified, be sure the wipe the lens before recording.
- Participants can submit their entry along with the completed form below, to communications@belizefund.bz
- Belize Fund will feature submissions using the hashtags #OceanAwareness2025 and #WorldOceanDay2025 on our social media accounts.
Judging Criteria:
- Creativity
- Originality
- Interpretation and Understanding of the theme.
- Overall impression of the submission.
Prizes:
Winners in Standard 4, 5, and 6:
- First Place: BZ $300
- Second Place: BZ $200
- Third Place: BZ $100
Disclaimer:
By submitting an entry, participants agree and grant permission for full use by the Belize Fund to be displayed, distributed, reproduced, and created as derivative works of the texts, in whole or in part, in any media currently existing or subsequently developed, for any educational, promotional, publicity, exhibition, archival, scholarly, or all other standard purposes of the Belize Fund’s communication activities and product development related to Belize coastal and marine environment.