Name the Beluga Contest

The Name the Beluga Contest gave students in grades 4-6 in Newfoundland and Labrador an opportunity to learn about beluga whales and aquatic species at risk in Canadian waters by participating in a fun contest to name 10 life-sized beluga whale replicas.

More than 1220 entries were received from 75 schools across the province. Names were submitted in a variety of languages including Inuktitut, Mikmaq, Finnish, Russian, German, Latin and French.

The 10 newly-named life-sized beluga whale replicas are as follows: Seanotes, Sea pod, Putup (Mikmaq), Glaçon (French), Echo, Bubbles, Atsanik (Inuktitut), Siku (Inuktitut), Delphina (Latin) and Leucas (Latin).

Winning students will receive a visit from a fishery officer in their local community, accompanied by a life-sized beluga whale replica. Students will also receive small prizes.

Congratulations to our winners:

"Seanotes" - Lauren, Gr. 4E, Bishop Field Elementary, St. John's. "I picked this name because beluga whales mostly live in the sea and they make sounds like sea notes." 

"Sea pod" - Justin, Gr. 4E, Bishop Field Elementary, St. John's. "I picked this name because beluga whales go in pods of 10 and they live in the sea."

"Putup" - Dawn, Gr. 6, St. Anne's School, Conne River. "I picked this name because this is how you say beluga in Mikmaq." * Pronounced Butup.

"Glaçon" - Victoria, Gr. 4, C.C. Loughlin Elementary, Corner Brook. "I picked this name because belugas are white and they try to stick their heads in ice holes so they can breathe."

"Echo" - Marcus, Gr. 6, Bay d'Espoir Academy, Milltown. "Echo after their echolocation."

"Bubbles" - Marcus, Gr. 6, Bay d'Espoir Academy, Milltown. "Bubbles because they look like bubbles in the water."

"Atsanik" - Susan, Gr. 6, Amos Comenius Memorial School, Hopedale. "I picked this name because in Inuktitut it stands for Northern Lights."

"Siku" - Jacqueline, Gr. 6, J.C. Erdhart Memorial School, Makkovik. "Siku is an Inuit word meaning ice. I picked this name because it reminds me of cold fresh water which the beluga swims freely in Labrador."

"Delphina" – Joshua, Gr. 4, Woodland Elementary School, Dildo. "I think it is a good name and it's a part of the scientific name."

"Leucas" – Iesha, Gr. 4, Woodland Elementary School, Dildo. "Their scientific name is Delphinapterus Leucas and it’s also a nice name."