Invite young artists to imagine a world where nature’s genius sparks human innovation.

Objectives

  • Students will reflect on their thoughts and feelings about nature-inspired design 
  • Students will communicate complex ideas visually

Art can be a great way to encourage students to envision a nature-inspired future. Biomimicry practice often involves deep technical knowledge, but starts with big picture ideas about the relationship between humans and the rest of the natural world (past, present, and future). The open-ended nature of artistic expression allows students to explore these ideas and exercise their creativity, even without biological expertise.

Student Artwork Examples

In September 2024, the Institute launched a youth art contest, Biomimicry Visions: Youth Art Challenge, to call on students aged 13-18 to celebrate the beauty of nature, the principles of biomimicry, or the connection between humans and the environment. This contest highlighted creativity and innovation, giving youth an opportunity to connect with and learn from the natural world.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Biomimicry Visions: Youth Art Challenge! Below are the three outstanding artworks selected from many inspiring submissions.

Blueprints for an automobile are overlayed with a drawing of the left half of a cheetah's face, with the words
Image: Nyah Jesco / Copyright © - All rights reserved

“My art is a tribute to all the inspiring creative thinkers behind biomimicry designs and their understanding of the importance of all aspects of nature. They understand that for every problem nature has a solution, which can be found in any plant, animal, organism, or biological process. This should inspire us to recognize that as complex as we are, we are still a part of nature and therefore it should take root in everything we do.” - Nyah Jesco, 16, USA

One of the blades of a giant wind turbine turns into the shape of a humpback whale.
Image: Tvisha Tipnis / Copyright © - All rights reserved

"My piece displays the inspiration engineers found in the humpback whale's fin when designing wind turbines. I chose this specific example because it incorporates the two main environmental crises going on in our world: fossil fuel emissions and plastic pollution. My purpose was to display the sheer power, the marvels, that are in nature." - Tvisha Tipnis, 13, USA

The image is divided down the middle, with the top half showing a city and airplane flying across the center. In the lower half, the buildings are replaced by trees and the plane is replaced by a bird's body.
Image: Natalia Rivas / Copyright © - All rights reserved

“My artwork represents the balance between cities and nature, it represents the inspiration that humans take from the natural world and how they transform their ideas to things we use in our daily life. Biomimicry is the inspiration for my drawing, showing how everything is connected and how everything can be a piece of art.” - Natalia Rivas, 14, Mexico

Hosting a Nature Inspired Art Contest in Your Classroom

Below are some suggestions for organizing a nature-inspired art contest for your classroom, school, or organization. Each step emphasizes flexibility, allowing you to tailor the challenge to fit your goals, schedule, and student interests.

Step 1: Introduce Biomimicry

Rather than focusing on technical concepts, we recommend prompting students to reflect on their thoughts and feelings about the promise of biomimicry for the future, and how it might impact humans’ relationship with nature. If you are introducing biomimicry for the first time, there are learning resources and teaching guides to get you started on AskNature (AskNature: For Educators). Below are a couple good starting points that could inspire questions and creative reflections for your students to explore through their art.

Step 2: Define Project Guidelines

Consider setting some goals and boundaries for the project. Will your contest have a specific theme or guiding question? Customize the project to suit your program’s needs:

  • Theme ideas: Invite students to create artwork that showcases the beauty of nature, explores what a biomimetic future might look like, or illustrates positive connections between humans and the environment. Encourage students to think in terms of sustainability and hope for a better future.
  • Specifications for Artwork: You may want to outline some requirements to ensure artwork matches your goals and classroom resources. Consider specific mediums you do or don’t want students working in, artwork dimensions, and file requirements if receiving submissions digitally.

Step 3: Define the Submission Process and Awards

Provide students with clear deadlines, a process for submitting artwork, and criteria to help them understand what makes a strong submission:

  • Process: You may choose to have students submit digitally, through a form, or in person. In any case, requiring a title and short description with each submission is a great way for students to share their inspiration and interpretation of their work.
  • Criteria: Evaluation criteria could include how uniquely the artwork interprets biomimicry concepts, relevance to a chosen theme, and/or the ability of the artwork to engage viewers on an emotional or intellectual level.
  • Awards: Consider offering prizes, certificates, or unique recognition for standout pieces. Winning artwork could be featured in a school display or on the school website.

Step 4: Celebrate and Reflect

Celebrate your students’ work by organizing a showcase or gallery viewing. Encourage students to share their creative processes and reflect on what they learned along the way.