Education Impact Challenge

Less than 1% of people worldwide are scuba certified.

Most people will only ever experience the ocean at its surface.

The vast ecosystems, invisible networks, and deep-sea environments that regulate life on Earth remain almost entirely unseen.

In the digital age, immersive media has the power to transform education - turning science into experience, data into emotion, and audiences into participants.

The OceanX Education Impact Challenge is a global open call for the next generation of immersive creators, ocean storytellers, and creative technologists.

Selected participants will transform ocean science, exploration, and discovery into immersive educational experiences that help people see, feel, and understand the ocean in entirely new ways.

Join the challenge solo or as a team.

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The OceanX Education Impact Challenge is a global open call for emerging artists, creative technologists, scientists, educators, and storytellers to transform ocean science into immersive learning experiences.

Applicants will propose concepts inspired by OceanX-supported research, exploration, discoveries, datasets, and documentaries.

Selected concepts may evolve into working prototypes of immersive experiences for the OceanX Summit and future convenings aboard the OceanXplorer, including:

• immersive worlds

• projection-mapped environments

• interactive exhibits

• games and simulations

• participatory experiences

If it changes how people experience and emotionally connect with the ocean, we want to see it.

The goal is to build a pipeline for the future of ocean learning - where breakthrough concepts can evolve into deployable experiences with global educational impact.

Apply individually or with collaborators.

Solo applicants are encouraged to apply and, if selected, may be connected with interdisciplinary teammates across science, storytelling, creative technology, digital art and education.

The strongest concepts often emerge from teams bringing together diverse disciplines, geographies, perspectives, and lived experiences.

Track 1

Living Light: The Language of Bioluminescence

Core Idea

In the deep ocean, light is communication. Fish coordinate movement, signal, and survive using bioluminescent flashes, even forming synchronized schools in total darkness.

The Challenge

Design a system, based on actual behavioral patterns recorded by scientists, where audiences interact through light—learning how communication, coordination, and survival emerge in darkness.

Creative Potential

• Real-time interaction

• Projection mapping

• Responsive environments

• Generative light systems

• Multiplayer experiences

• Spatial interaction

• Sensory storytelling

Why It Matters

This track explores how invisible systems of communication shape life beneath the surface — and how audiences might emotionally experience those systems for themselves.

Inspired by: “The vast darkness of the deep sea is an environment with few obvious genetic isolating barriers, and little is known regarding the macroevolutionary processes that have shaped present-day biodiversity in this habitat. Bioluminescence, the production and emission of light from a living organism through a chemical reaction, is thought to occur in approximately 80% of the eukaryotic life that inhabits the deep sea (water depth greater than 200m). In this study, we show, for the first time, that deep-sea fishes that possess species-specific bioluminescent structures (e.g., lanternfishes, dragonfishes) are diversifying into new species at a more rapid rate than deep-sea fishes that utilize bioluminescence in ways that would not promote isolation of populations (e.g., camouflage, predation). This work adds to our understanding of how life thrives and evolution shaped present-day biodiversity in the deep sea, the largest and arguably least explored habitat on earth.” Please see here for the research paper, enabled by OceanX, by Davis, Matthew P.; Holcroft, Nancy I.; Wiley, Edward O.; Sparks, John S.; Leo Smith, W. (2014)

Track 2

The Invisible Ocean: Microbial Worlds That Run the Planet

Core Idea

Invisible microbial ecosystems - thousands of unknown species - drive ocean life, carbon cycling, and energy transfer, forming vast hidden networks across the entire water column.

The Challenge

Translate invisible microbial ecosystems into immersive, living systems - where users explore the hidden networks that power the ocean.

Creative Potential

• Data visualisation

• Projection mapping

• Generative art

• Particle systems

• AI-driven ecosystems

• Simulation

• Abstract immersion

• Interactive ecosystems

Why It Matters

This track transforms complex scientific systems into emotionally accessible experiences that help audiences understand the hidden infrastructure of life on Earth.

Inspired by: “Microeukaryotes, including protists, microalgae, and small fungi, are fundamental components of marine ecosystems, driving energy transfer, nutrient cycling, and primary production. Despite their ecological significance, they remain understudied due to their small size and taxonomic complexity. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of eukaryotic diversity across the entire water column of the Eastern Red Sea, integrating surface to deep‐sea layers along a latitudinal gradient. Environmental DNA metabarcoding of bottle‐net hauls from 266 samples across 128 stations spanning the eastern Red Sea revealed 4298 MOTUs from 40 phyla, with a substantial fraction lacking reliable taxonomic assignments. While traditional diversity indices showed little variation across regions or depths, multivariate analyses revealed pronounced community turnover along the latitudinal gradient and subtler vertical structuring. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity emerged as significant correlates of β‐diversity, with the remainder likely reflecting unmeasured drivers. Despite a large core of MOTUs shared across epipelagic, mesopelagic, and bathypelagic layers, ecological groups displayed depth‐specific abundance patterns, and co‐occurrence networks identified phototrophic and microbial hubs with a southward shift toward stronger benthic–pelagic coupling. Notably, we observed a latitudinal transition from fungal‐ and algal‐dominated communities in the north to more complex microbial–benthic–vertebrate networks in the south. Our results indicate that Red Sea eukaryote communities are shaped by both abiotic gradients and biological interactions, and that water column‐integrated sampling reduces depth bias and captures biodiversity patterns overlooked by single‐depth surveys. This work provides a regional baseline for biodiversity monitoring and conservation in a rapidly changing tropical sea.” Please see here for the research paper, enabled by OceanX, by Angulo‐Preckler, Carlos; Frappi, Sofia; Laiolo, Elisa; Lim, Kah Kheng; Rivera Rosas, Diego E.; Hempel, Christopher A.; Frühe, Larissa; Martynova, Anastasiia; Steckbauer, Alexandra; Alamoudi, Taiba; Klein, Shannon G.; Pieribone, Vincent A.; Qurban, Mohammad A.; Agusti, Susana; Duarte, Carlos M. (2026)

Track 3

Extreme Oceans: Life at the Edge

Core Idea

Extreme environments - hypersaline brine pools and oxygen-depleted zones - host alien-like ecosystems, preserving ancient climate records and supporting life where it seems unimaginable to humans that it could exist.

The Challenge

Create an experience that places users inside extreme ocean environments - hypersaline brine pools and oxygen-depleted zones - exploring the limits of life and what it means to survive.

Creative Potential

• Projection mapping

• Atmospheric immersion

• Sensory storytelling

• Volumetric environments

• Narrative exploration

• Spatial sound

• Sci-fi aesthetics grounded in science

• Environmental world-building

Why It Matters

This track invites participants to explore one of the most mysterious frontiers on Earth while connecting deep-ocean science to larger questions about resilience, climate, and life itself.

Inspired by: “Deep-sea brine pools represent hypersaline environments famed for their extremophile microbes. With anoxia entirely excluding bioturbating megafauna, brine pools are also conducive to the pristine preservation of sedimentary sequences. Here we use bathymetric and geophysical observations to locate a complex of brine pools in the Gulf of Aqaba consisting of one 10,000 m2 pool and three minor pools of less than 10 m2. We further conduct sediment coring and direct sampling of the brine to confirm the sedimentary and environmental characteristics of these pools. We find that the main pool preserves a stratigraphy which spans at least 1200 years and contains a combination of turbidites, likely resulting from flashfloods and local seismicity, and tsunamigenic terrestrial sediment. The NEOM Brine Pools, as we name them, extend the known geographical range of Red Sea brine pools, and represent a unique preservational environment for the sedimentary signals of regional climatic and tectonic events.” Please see here for the research paper, enabled by OceanX, by Purkis, Sam J.; Shernisky, Hannah; Swart, Peter K.; Sharifi, Arash; Oehlert, Amanda; Marchese, Fabio; Benzoni, Francesca; Chimienti, Giovanni; Duchâtellier, Gaëlle; Klaus, James; Eberli, Gregor P.; Peterson, Larry; Craig, Andrew; Rodrigue, Mattie; Titschack, Jürgen; Kolodziej, Graham; Abdulla, Ameer (2022)

Track 4

Deep Sea Detectives: Finding Life in the Unknown

Core Idea

New species are constantly being discovered in the deep ocean — enabled by advancements in technologies like ROVs, submersibles, and soft robotics.

The Challenge

Design an experience where users become deep-sea explorers — taking samples that could lead to the discovery of new species, navigating unknown terrain, and expanding human knowledge.

Creative Potential

• Games and simulations

• Interactive storytelling

• Exploration systems

• AI-assisted discovery

• Tool-building interfaces

• Narrative gameplay

• Discovery mechanics

Why It Matters

This track transforms scientific exploration into an interactive learning journey that invites audiences into the excitement, uncertainty, and wonder of ocean discovery.

Inspired by: “The diversity and evolution of the Red Sea invertebrates in mesophotic and deep-water benthic ecosystems remain largely unexplored. The Palaemonidae is a diversified family of caridean shrimps with numerous taxa in need of taxonomic revisions based on recent molecular analyses. The Red Sea mesophotic and bathyal palaemonid shrimps are largely unstudied. During recent expeditions off the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia, several palaemonid specimens were collected at a depth range of 88–494 m, spanning the mesophotic and bathyal zones. This material was examined morphologically and genetically to infer phylogenetic relationships among the Red Sea taxa and several other palaemonid genera. The concordant morphological and genetic data led to the description of two new genera and two new species. Moreover, one species was recorded in the Red Sea for the first time, with a new host record, whereas three further deep-water species, which do not occur in the Red Sea, were formally transferred to a different genus. As more exploration efforts are deployed, research on the diversity and evolutionary relationships among marine invertebrates from the Red Sea will further underline the uniqueness of its mesophotic and bathyal fauna.” Please see here for the research paper, enabled by OceanX, by Anker, Arthur; Vimercati, Silvia; Barreca, Federica; Marchese, Fabio; Chimienti, Giovanni; Terraneo, Tullia I.; Rodrigue, Mattie; Eweida, Ameer A.; Qurban, Mohammed; Duarte, Carlos M.; Pieribone, Vincent; Benzoni, Francesca (2023)

Apply

Submit your initial concept, creative vision, and chosen challenge track — individually or as a team.

Applications focus on the strength of the idea, the learning journey, and the potential impact of the experience.

Finalists

Selected finalists receive access to OceanX science resources, datasets, footage, and exploration insight to further develop their concepts.

Finalists will refine their prototype vision, development approach, and experience design before expert review.

Winners

Winning teams receive mentorship and support from OceanX Education and its network of scientists, storytellers, educators, and creative technologists to develop showcase-ready immersive experiences.

Invitation to the OceanXplorer

Selected winners may be invited aboard the R/V OceanXplorer to further develop their concepts through a future onboard hackathon connected to the OceanX Summit and other convenings.

Programme Format

The Challenge operates as a rolling global programme, with new tracks and opportunities launching throughout the year.

Most collaboration and development will take place remotely, with selected in-person opportunities connected to showcases, immersive labs, and future onboard OceanXplorer development.

Why OceanX?

OceanX combines ocean exploration, science, storytelling, education, and immersive media to help audiences better understand the ocean and humanity’s relationship to it.

Through the R/V OceanXplorer, global scientific expeditions, immersive experiences, museum collaborations, and educational initiatives, OceanX Education is building new ways for people to experience the ocean - not as distant information, but as something living, emotional, interconnected, and worth protecting.

The OceanX Education Impact Challenge is designed to help the next generation of creators shape what ocean learning becomes next.

The Next Wave of Ocean Storytelling Starts Here

The future of ocean education will be immersive.

Build it with us.

Applications Opening Soon!

We're getting ready to launch applications. Check back soon for updates.