Ocean Plastic Art Competition
Ocean plastic is one of the most visible symptoms of a global crisis. It's also, in the right hands, a medium. Each year, conservation organizations participating in the Global Ocean Cleanup collect debris from coastlines and waterways around the world — then use it to create original works of art. The competition that follows is judged by artists and ocean advocates, and decided in part by public vote. The goal isn't just to make something beautiful. It's to make the problem impossible to look away from.
2026 Competition Entries & Voting
Explore the marine debris artwork created by participating organizations following the 2026 Global Ocean Cleanup.
The Judge's Choice, Runner-Up, and Audience Choice winners each receive $500 in support of their conservation work, because the best outcome of a competition like this is more time, more hands, and more resources in the field.
Our Panel of Judges
Meet the official judges for the 2026 Global Ocean Cleanup Art Competition. These renowned artists and ocean conservationists reviewed and rated the artworks submitted to select the Judge's Choice Winner and Runner-Up.
Ben J. Hicks
Ben is a south-Florida based photographer who aspires to advance the appreciation for nature and raise environmental awareness by depicting the natural world in an endearing and relevant manner that all individuals can understand and connect with. Ben is particularly focused on using his photography as a medium to communicate the importance of sea turtle conservation, as these magnificent creatures are one of the most important indicators of the health of the world’s marine and coastal ecosystems. Learn more about Ben at https://www.benjhicks.com.
Pamela Longobardi
Pam is an Atlanta-based artist grounded in modalities of forensic investigation, action, collaborative process, and social practice. Her artwork involves sculpture, installation, film, performance and social engagement, and is framed within a conversation on globalism and climate change. Pam's work addresses the geopolitics of the changing ocean as social and commodified space. In 2006, she created Drifters Project, an artistic research project focusing on contemporary global archeology: drifting plastic objects. Learn more about Pam at https://driftersproject.net/.
Cristina Mittermeier
Cristina is a Mexican-born photographer and marine biologist who has been working for the past 25 years as a writer, conservationist, and photographer. She founded the prestigious International League of Conservation Photographers, and co-founded Sea Legacy, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and rewilding the ocean. Cristina’s work has been published in hundreds of publications, including National Geographic, TIME, McLean's, The Men's Journal and O. Learn more about Cristina at https://cristinamittermeier.com/.
Courtney Mattison
Courtney is a San Francisco-based artist who handcrafts intricate and large-scale sculptural works that visualize climate change through the fragile beauty of marine life. Her background in marine conservation science informs her work, which has been commissioned and shown worldwide. Her work has been featured on the covers of American Craft, Beaux Arts Magazine, and Brown Alumni Magazine, and by Smithsonian Magazine, Good Morning America, Oprah Magazine, and BBC World Service. Learn more about Courtney at https://courtneymattison.com/.
Christy Rupp
Christy Rupp is an American eco-artist and citizen scientist. Growing up in the Rust Belt of upstate New York, she witnessed industrial waste and efforts to conceal its causes, igniting a lifelong interest in art and environmental justice. She moved to NYC in the late 70s as it faced bankruptcy, arriving at a moment of social, cultural, and ecological upheaval that proved fertile ground for artists. Rupp's sculptures and research-driven projects examine how society constructs ideas about wildlife, waste, and responsibility. Learn more at https://christyrupp.com/.
Paul Nicklen
Paul is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist who has spent over 30 years documenting the beauty and fragility of our planet. He worked as a wildlife researcher before becoming a staff photographer for National Geographic in the 1990s. In 2014, he co-founded SeaLegacy, a nonprofit focused on ocean conservation through visual storytelling. He has earned many awards for his work including several from BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and World Press Photo. Learn more about Paul at https://paulnicklen.com/.
Brad Torchia
Brad Torchia is a Los Angeles-based photographer who aims to channel the transcendent qualities of the sun and ocean. Surfing has brought him close to the Pacific and his daily multimedia experiments are often informed by this connection, including an ongoing series of work that utilizes plastic found on the beach. Brad works with major editorial outlets and brands from around the world, with the intention of revealing what’s right there in front of us: the joy of life. Learn more about Brad at https://bradtorchia.com/.
Wishulada Panthanuvong
WISHULADA is a Thai artist who uses art as a means to document the amount of waste produced by our society and to inspire all people to reuse, recycle, and upcycle the things around us to maximize efficiency and reduce environmental impact. WISHULADA's work aims to drive awareness and motivate concern about environmental issues, encouraging audiences to be creative in designing production processes that consider the lifecycle of products from the beginning to the end. Learn more about WISHULADA at http://wishulada-art.com/.
Ocean Plastic Art Gallery: Past Competition Entries
A collection of past artworks created from marine debris found in local communities, transforming recovered ocean plastic into expressions of creativity, unity, and global awareness.
Contest Rules
The Art Competition of the 2026 Global Ocean Cleanup is a friendly contest among official campaign participants.
Each participating project will create and document a piece of artwork using waste collected during their cleanup and provide a statement about their entry. Judges will review their submissions and collaborate to determine a Judge's Choice Winner and Runner-Up, each of which will receive an additional $500 toward their ocean conservation work. We will also hold an online vote to determine an Audience Choice winner, who will also receive an additional $500 toward their work.