The Pole to Pole expedition has always been about pushing the boundaries of human exploration and inspiring the next generation of adventurers. As part of our mission to inspire and educate, we partnered with News-O-Matic, a leading educational platform that delivers daily news to young readers, to launch a competition for children to design a flag for our expedition. We are delighted to announce that a winner has been selected!
The competition was open to all News-O-Matic readers, with the goal of creating a flag that embodies the spirit of the Pole to Pole expedition. We were blown away by the quality of the entries we received, with young artists from all over the world submitting their designs.
After much deliberation, we selected the winning design, which was created by 10-year-old Grace Cortright from Long Island, New York. Grace’s flag design comes with its own inspiring story:
“My flag is great in all kinds of beautiful ways. I chose to do this design because it represents three very important renewable energy sources. One of the sources I chose was solar energy because that is one of the most important energy sources. They make wonderful wind farms to make the world a fresher place.
“I also chose a solar panel because they make homes have more energy but for less money. They conduct sunlight for all parts of your home. Also, they have been putting solar panels on schools in my district. I think they make a difference in our beautiful world. The last picture on my Earth is of a plug and an outlet. That simple plug and outlet do a lot. They charge almost everything including phones, computers, iPad, etc. Just because they are little doesn’t mean they aren’t mighty! For my main part, the Earth, I drew it sitting on a grass with flowers smiling at the sun. I did that because I thought it made the world look like a happier place. The Earth is also blushing because the sun helped too! He took place with the solar panels.
“Even though the Earth might be being polluted right now it is still finding the sun on the darkest days. The reason the sun is happy is because his friend is happy from not being polluted. My flag is more unique because everyone thinks recycling is the only way to save Earth. Recycling is important but these can change a lot more.
“The reason I am competing in this contest is because the world is very important. If we don’t have the Earth, people, animals, and plants will all die out. No other planet is safe enough for us to live on. I enjoyed doing this flag and hopefully you enjoy it too!”
We were impressed with Grace’s creativity and the thoughtfulness that went into her design. Her flag truly captures the essence of the Pole to Pole expedition and will be a proud symbol of our mission as we explore the furthest reaches of our planet.
As the winner of the competition, Grace will receive an expedition flag with her design printed. Julie and Chris will take her flag design from the 1823 Magnetic North Pole 17,000 miles through 14 countries, all the way to the South Pole in Antarctica.
We want to thank all the young artists who participated in the competition. It was inspiring to see the creativity and passion that went into each design. We hope that this competition has sparked an interest in exploration and adventure for all of the participants, and we look forward to seeing where their own journeys will take them in the future.
The Pole to Pole expedition is set to depart in just a few short weeks, and we are excited to carry Grace’s flag with us on our journey. We will proudly display it throughout our expedition. We hope that it will inspire others to follow their dreams and explore the world around them.
