2022 Middle School Winners

Alicia Ortiz is a 7th grade student at Plaza Middle School in Virginia Beach, VA. When her teacher first mentioned the video contest, Alicia was instantly interested since it combined her passion for art with her love of the ocean. “The topic just interests me, learning about the ocean and all the creatures there are in it, and all the things about it that we don’t know and are still learning,” she said.

Alicia’s video explains the science behind coral bleaching, but before the World of 7 Billion contest, she says that she “didn’t even know coral bleaching was a thing.”“I didn’t know how much coral affected the world in general, and how much we need them to survive,” she added.

Making this video was Alicia’s first foray into filmmaking, as well as animation. She says she did a lot of research into the process, and watched hours of videos to teach herself to use Procreate. “The drawing part was very time-consuming, just figuring out what pictures I wanted, what frame speed, and all that stuff.”

Alicia has been experimenting with many different types of media and in the future, she would love to pursue a career in art. She enjoys painting, sculpting, and drawing and gets inspiration from YouTuber Moriah Elizabeth. Alicia loves “the joy that Moriah has making art and making content.”

As a first-place winner, Alicia’s advice to anyone wanting to try out the World of 7 Billion contest next year is simple: “Commit yourself to it, do your best, and try hard things.”