In the middle of the summer, on the warmest nights of the year and on certain beaches in Greece, the baby loggerhead sea turtles come out of their eggs and emerge from the sand. They move quickly towards the sea, like wind-up toys, avoiding the hungry beaks of birds and the trampling of people. And in the sea begins the great journey of their lives!

This year ARCHELON asked the children for help so that from their own mouths the tourists on the beaches will be warned that the baby turtles will soon come out. We suggested that everyone create their own sea turtle with natural materials from a nearby beach.

By the end of September our e-mail was filled with photos of the children's turtle creations made of pebbles, sand, water, rocks, sticks, leaves and shells, as our 3-13 year-old friends responded to our call.

We collected all their turtle art and posted it in an online exhibition, where everyone could visit and vote for their favorite exhibits, leaving a heart. In the end, 7-year-old Angeliki's sand turtle stole 694 hearts and became the winner! And this is how this year's ARCHELON Christmas card will be.

The winner turtle was followed by (6-year-old) Aelia's turtle with the green flippers and (7-year-old) George's petrified turtle enjoying the sunset, that both gained more than 300 hearts. A little behind them, (6-year-old) Danai's leafy turtle and (8-year-old) Fotis's minimal hatchling that stole more than 200 hearts!

Some of our little friends decided to use recyclable materials they found on their beaches or colorful materials they found at home. They may not have been part of this year's competition concept, but they stole many hearts and gave us ideas for next year!

Many thanks to all participants and their parents or teachers who helped with this effort.

You can see the exhibition here .