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Filipa Bessa wins JPI Oceans Photo and Art awards

On the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the JPI Oceans launched an award - the Art & Photo Awards - to honor the marine environment and the scientists who work tirelessly to ensure the health and productivity of the oceans. At the same time, it sought to promote the role of photography and the visual arts in approaching the challenge of communicating about the largest ecosystem on Earth, recognizing that these arts are fundamental in bringing society emotionally closer to the marine environment.

In the category "JPI Oceans Projects", the jury was particularly impressed with the proposal "New Shades of Blue" authored by the Portuguese biologist Filipa Bessa, researcher at MARE (UCoimbra) and part of the project i-plastic funded by FCT under the 2nd Joint Transnational JPI Oceans Call on the theme "Distribution, sources & impact of micro-plastics in the marine environment". The harmonious composition of Filipa Bessa's photography draws the observer into a second look "Looking closer, instead of life you discover that it is garbage, uniting beauty and repulsion."