Youth creativity recognised in Nautilus Project World Oceans Day competition

Hundreds of young people took part in this year’s Nautilus Project World Oceans Day competition, with judges reviewing 330 submissions across a range of categories.

The judging process took more than five hours, alongside onsite visits to assess entries in situ.

The Nautilus Project said the volume of submissions and the standard of work reflected the creativity of the young people taking part.

The judging panel included Finsbury Trust director and main trophy sponsor Bianca Daniell, Nicholas Balban from the Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Club, guest judge Gianna Balban, youth monitors Alexander Sanchez-Soiza and Eva Guillem and Nautilus Project marine biologist Lewis Stagnetto.

The awards ceremony will take place at the Sunborn Hotel on World Ocean Day, Monday June 8.

World Oceans Day competition winners
Lower primary individual
First place: Jaxon Downs, St Paul’s Lower Primary School
Second place: Beth Percival, Governor’s Meadow Lower Primary School
Third place: Zayn Ressa, Notre Dame Lower Primary School
Highly commended: Fern Davidson, St Joseph’s Lower Primary School
Highly commended: Sienna Hodges, St Bernard’s Lower Primary School

Lower primary small group
First place: Paula Alumbrera, Yousef Hallal, Mikaela Lau, Thomas Martinez, Bella Del Agua and Ethan Cornelio, St Bernard’s Lower Primary School
Second place: Liam McCarthy-Tavares and Sunanda Punjabi, St Bernard’s Lower Primary School
Third place: Ava Akuma and Riley Garcia, St Joseph’s Lower Primary School

Lower primary classroom
Winner: St Mary’s Lower Primary School learning support facility, for Nautilus Sustainable Birthday Cake
Runner-up: Dynamic Diamonds, Year Two, St Joseph’s Lower Primary School, for Where Youth Lead, Oceans Win

Lower primary year group
First place: Governor’s Meadow Lower Primary School, Year One
Second place: St Paul’s Lower Primary School, Year Two
Third place: St Joseph’s Lower Primary School, Year Two

Upper primary individual
First place: Isabella Cuesta, St Anne’s Upper Primary School
Second place: Batsheva Wahnich, Hebrew Primary School, Year Four
Third place: Joshua Beniso, Hebrew Primary School, Year Four

Upper primary year group
First place: Loreto Convent School, Year Five
Runner-up: Hebrew Primary School, Year Four

Secondary school individual
First place: Leah Duarte, Bayside School, for Whale Shark Spoon
Second place: Adrianne Durante, Westside School
Third place: Lucia Peacock, Bayside School

Secondary school year group
First place: Gibraltar College, Level One

Overall school winners
First place: St Anne’s Upper Primary School
Second place: Notre Dame Lower Primary School
Third place: St Paul’s Lower Primary School
Highly commended: St Joseph’s Lower Primary School

The Nautilus Project also named Cameron Byrne as its Youth Volunteer of the Year.

Sustainable Christmas Decoration competition winners 2025
Lower primary school
First place: Fraser Young, St Joseph’s Lower Primary School, for Gingerbread Stick House
Second place: Jonah Palao, St Joseph’s Lower Primary School, for Pinecone Fish
Third place: Sonny Sheppard Capurro Symons, St Joseph’s Lower Primary School, for Santa’s Egg Carton Sleigh

Classroom award
First place: St Mary’s Lower Primary School learning support facility, for Toilet Roll Nutcracker
Upper primary school
First place: Alma Belle Baharal, St Bernard’s Upper Primary School, for Underwater Nemo
Second place: Lauren Slater, Bishop Fitzgerald Upper Primary School, for Seashell Bauble
Third place: Callum Hayward, St Anne’s Upper Primary School, for Toilet Roll Wreath
Highly commended: Noah Trinidad, St Anne’s Upper Primary School, for Sea Glass Snowman

School award
First place: Bishop Fitzgerald School, for Bishop Express
Secondary school
First place: Adrianne Durante, Westside School, for Crab Coaster

University category
First place: Dante Jimenez, for Nudibranch Bauble

Nautilus School MedOceanHeroes, July 2025 to June 2026

The Nautilus Project also recognised its School MedOceanHeroes for the 2025/26 academic year.

St Paul’s Lower Primary School: Oren Canepa and Seth Sebtaoui
St Joseph’s Lower Primary School: Zak Bokhari
St Joseph’s Upper Primary School: Alma Bokhari and Anna Borrell
Hebrew Primary School: Shlomo Brenig
Bishop Fitzgerald Upper Primary School: Valentino Ferro-Aleman and Millie Montiel
Notre Dame Lower Primary School: William Oliveira and Jaxson Navas
St Anne’s Upper Primary School: James King, Noah Trinidad, Madison Navas and Laura Wyatt