A Look Back at the 2026 Explomer Hydro-Québec Contest

During our Open House this past Sunday, visitors had the opportunity to attend the final presentations of the Explomer Hydro-Québec contest.

Throughout the project, participating students expanded their knowledge of one or more marine species of their choice before sharing what they had learned with the public. Lobster, beluga whale, seal, sea cucumber: the St. Lawrence species were in the spotlight!

Presentations That Impressed the Public

In front of visitors and members of the jury, the students presented the results of their research with dedication, creativity and enthusiasm.

Many of you told us how much impressed you were by the quality of their work, their confidence in sharing their knowledge and the passion with which they presented their chosen species.

The public vote, combined with the evaluations of our jury, determined the three winning teams of this year’s contest.

Contest winners

1ère place

Orie et Roxanne
Beluga whale and minke whale
École des Sources-Lévesque

2ème place

Arielle et Eliana
Sea cucumber and scallop
École Gabriel-Le Courtois

3ème place

Charlie
Common winkle and plumose anemone
Collège Notre-Dame de Rivière-du-Loup

An educative and unifying project

Beyond the final rankings, the Explomer Hydro-Québec Contest gave students the opportunity to deepen their scientific knowledge, nurture their curiosity and, above all, develop their ability to share what they had learned with the public.

We would like to congratulate all the participating students for their commitment and for the work they put into this project from beginning to end. Thank you for sharing everything you learned about the species of the St. Lawrence with such passion and enthusiasm.

We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the members of the jury for their presence, their attentive listening and their contribution to the success of the event, as well as to the many visitors who came to support the students and cast their votes.

Thank you to our valued partners

The Explomer Hydro-Québec Contest was made possible thanks to the generous support of our valued partners :

Hydro-Québec;
Pêches et Océans Canada – Institut Maurice-Lamontagne;
Fondation de la faune du Québec;
Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec;
Parc marin du Saguenay–Saint-Laurent;
Institut maritime du Québec;
Cégep de Rimouski;
Groupe de recherche et d’éducation sur les mammifères marins – GREMM;
Club Optimiste de Sainte-Anne-des-Monts;
Croisières AML;
Croisières Baie de Gaspé;
Electropage;
Arseno;
Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père;
Marché Cévic Bonichoix.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to them for supporting Exploramer and the students throughout this wonderful journey of discovery and preservation of the species of the St. Lawrence.

Congratulations to all the participants, and we look forward to seeing you at the next edition of the Explomer Hydro-Québec Contest!