This forum, initiated by the Ocean Council in collaboration with the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Kaohsiung, the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, and the Philippine Representative Office in Taiwan, encourages young students worldwide to leverage ocean resources and innovative thinking to propose concrete solutions to contemporary ocean crises and challenges. Since its inception in 2019, over 1,000 young students from 28 countries across Asia, Oceania, Europe, Africa, and Latin America have participated in the forum, continuously contributing to ocean conservation through proposals, implementation, and cross-border exchanges. We hope that through the activism and creativity of more young people, both domestically and internationally, we can achieve the goal of sustainable ocean development and build a more resilient future for the world's oceans.
In response to the "United Nations Decade of Marine Science for Sustainable Development," the Ocean Affairs Council has partnered with AIT/K to co-host "the Ocean Challenge," which has three main goals.
The 7th edition of the Forum continues to grow in scale, co-hosted for the first time with institutions in Taiwan from Japan and the Philippines. A total of 162 young participants from 14 countries formed teams to compete, creating a grand platform for cross-border exchange. This year also marked the launch of the “Ocean Wishing Pool” initiative, bringing together experts and scholars from around the world for academic exchange. Participants visited the Nanying Marine Conservation Education Center, the Qigu Salt Field Wetlands, TCHAR CO., LTD., and the Mailiao oil-cleaning vessel to gain first-hand insights into marine ecology and environmental protection.
This year, the event sets off for Kenting for the very first time—heading straight to the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Pingtung! Twelve finalist teams embarked on the magical journey of “Sleeping with the Fish,” spending a whole day immersed in the ocean world—from a blue whale lecture and a penguin feeding show to in-depth guided tours and an overnight stay. The Final Presentation took place both online and offline, with even a team from Malaysia flying in to join the celebration. For the grand finale, National Geographic Explorer Katy Croff Bell delivered her talk Deep Sea Exploration, opening up the infinite possibilities of the mysterious underwater world.
We appeal to those who share the same vision to take action and dedicate themselves to making changes in our environment to inspire young academics to use marine science to address the crises and problems of our ocean. We are confident that our international participants can collaborate to share proposals and ideas to advance sustainable ocean development through marine science.
We appeal to those who share the same vision to take action and dedicate themselves to making changes in our environment to inspire young academics to use marine science to address the crises and problems of our ocean. We are confident that our international participants can collaborate to share proposals and ideas to advance sustainable ocean development through marine science.
We appeal to those who share the same vision to take action and dedicate themselves to making changes in our environment to inspire young academics to use marine science to address the crises and problems of our ocean. We are confident that our international participants can collaborate to share proposals and ideas to advance sustainable ocean development through marine science.
We appeal to those who share the same vision to take action and dedicate themselves to making changes in our environment to inspire young academics to use marine science to address the crises and problems of our ocean. We are confident that our international participants can collaborate to share proposals and ideas to advance sustainable ocean development through marine science.
We appeal to those who share the same vision to take action and dedicate themselves to making changes in our environment to inspire young academics to use marine science to address the crises and problems of our ocean. We are confident that our international participants can collaborate to share proposals and ideas to advance sustainable ocean development through marine science.