SOUTH PORTLAND — An appreciation of the cold, fertile waters of the Gulf of Maine could translate into cold, hard cash for some talented high school students through an essay contest sponsored by the film director of “From the Bow Seat” and the Gulf of Maine Marine Education Association.

The partnership invites high school students to write essays on the interdependence of the rich marine life found in the North Atlantic Ocean, from forage fish to endangered right whales.

Prizes for students who write the winning essays are S2,500, $1,500 and $500; the science department of the first-place winner receives an additional $2,500. Essays may be submitted through June 15. Essay requirements can be found at www.fromthebowseat.org/contest. All film footage can be viewed directly at the website. Educators, including high school teachers and home school instructors, may download and print posters and a teacher packet from the site as well.

The essay contest is a collaborative effort to increase ocean literacy and student awareness of the Gulf of Maine, the rich marine ecosystem bounded by the coasts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. GOMMEA, a collaborative of marine educators in Maine and New Hampshire, is partnering with independent film maker Linda Cabot to promote and share the documentary, “From the Bow Seat.” The hour-long film profiles a “voyage of discovery” of a mother and her teenage daughters as they sail along the Maine coast to interview leaders in marine research and conservation.