Lily Wolfe of San Carlos, California, won first place in the photo contest. Her photo, which contrasts the volcanic island of Kauai, Hawaii with surrounding ocean life, was taken while she was on a snorkeling trip with her family (below). 

Submissions illustrated the theme "Our Heritage in Earth Systems." The following finalists captured evidence of ways Earth systems have interacted over time to form the geoheritage around their communities. 

Sophia Findley of Kapolei, Hawaii, won first place in the visual arts contest. Her drawing depicts Diamond Head Volcano on the island of Oahu (below). 

Submissions illustrated the theme "Our Heritage in Earth Systems." Our finalists created pictures that show how Earth systems have shaped their worlds.

Logan Flanagan of Virginia Beach, Virginia, won first place in the essay contest with his paper, "An Untouched World", which describes Hang Son Doong, a cave in Vietnam.

Students in grades 6-9 wrote essays of up to 300 words addressing this year's theme, "Sharing and Caring for Our Geoheritage." Finalists described one geoheritage site and explained why that site should be maintained. 

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

• Lalitha Aiyar
• Isabella Fernandez
• Emma Hutchinson
• Brent Wang

The views and assertions presented in essays are neither endorsed by nor reflect the positions the American Geosciences Institute.

Video Contest

Winners (in alphabetical order):

• Deal Island- Deal Island
• Rock Hard- Rock Classification
• Science Superb- A Garden Fit for the Gods
• The Science Geeks- Changes in the Garden of the Gods

Finalists (in alphabetical order):

• TPS Team - Aligarh Exhibition
• Team Kapfhamer - Black River/backyard
• Jezebel and Damia - Denver Center for International Studies Schoolyard
• The Science Squad - Streams in the Chesapeake Bay
• Princess Anne Elementary School - School Yard

View winning videos along with information about the other finalist teams here.

The contest, which promoted understanding of the important role of the geosciences in everyone's life, selected winning entries that celebrated "Our Shared Geoheritage," the theme of Earth Science Week 2016.