The Maritime Museum of British Columbia is celebrating its 70th birthday on 18 April; the public is called to make it an extra special one with the gift of memory. Submit your story to the 70 Maritime Memories project–seventy memories will be featured on this page as a virtual exhibit and story hub.
Your memories, your family stories, your recipes, your snapshots and short videos, and your experiences on or by the water are all part of what makes living on the coast so uniquely maritime. This community project reflects your coastal life, and it’s so easy to contribute.
Until 10 April 2025, you can submit a story, a photo, an artwork, a video, a poem, or anything else that can be displayed on a website to the Museum for inclusion in the project and its digital archives. On our birthday, a communal pool of seventy memories representing all facets of maritime life, work, and leisure will be virtually launched.
What is a Maritime Memory?
Do you live, work, or play on or by the water? Did a special event or moment happen to you harbourside, oceanside, or right on (or in) the waves? Has a story been passed down through the generations about a relative on the west coast? Do you have a story about your first glimpse of the Salish Sea?
A maritime life is not restricted to one career or experience: your maritime memory can be a monumental adventure at sea or a small cherished moment, and anything in between.
Memories can be presented in many forms, and the project accepts any file format that can be uploaded onto a website.
You can submit any combination of:
- A written story that will be displayed as text
- A poem, recipe, or short quote
- A photo or photo series that recalls a memory or displays an important object
- An artwork or performance about a memory
- A video of the memory or referencing the memory
Stories may be lightly copyedited for grammar and style before they are included on the website, print, or social media. The Museum reserves the right to not publish stories at its discretion.
How to Share Your Memory
Contact Maritime Museum of BC staff to submit your memory via an online form—all forms of media are accepted and can be uploaded through the form. You can also contact azanko@mmbc.bc.ca to submit a memory via email.
Paper submission forms are available in the museum gallery at 744 Douglas Street if you would like to submit a hand-written story.
The deadline for sharing your memory is 10 April 2025.