The Winners Of The Ocean Awards 2020

BOAT International is pleased to announce the winners for the 2020 Ocean Awards. Held in partnership with Blue Marine Foundation, one of the UK’s leading ocean conservation charities, the Awards celebrate individuals, companies and charities striving to protect our oceans. Click through the gallery to watch each of the winners accept their award, and discover how their work is helping save the world's oceans.

Crystal Caviar is a pro bono partner of the Ocean Awards and created the physical awards for this year’s event. The awards have been crafted using aquamarine crystal and are beautifully shaped like a wave. Read more about their crystal artist - Jaroslav Prosek - here. 

1. The Innovation Award Winner: the Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) group

The Migratory Connectivity in the Ocean (MiCO) group is a consortium of organisations and institutions that work together to pool data on marine animal migration. Researcher Daniel Dunn accepted the prize on behalf of MiCO. To discover how MiCO's work is helping fight the ocean crisis, read the full story via the link below.

Pupils from Tavahiroa Primary School in French Polynesia are working to protect their home of Anaa Atoll from overfishing, and their efforts made them the winners of the Local Hero Award this year. British charity The Island Initiative helped the children accomplish their goal, so the charity's chairman Charles Watson accepted the award on their behalf. Click the link below to discover their solution to the local problem.

Research charity Nekton, which plans to protect 30 per cent of the Indian Ocean’s waters by 2030, was honoured with the Public Awareness Award this year. Nekton founder Oliver Steeds accepted the award on behalf of Nekton and it's mission partners. To read more about how Nekton plans to protect some of the planet’s least-researched and most at-risk areas below the surface of the sea, click the link below.

The Visionary Award recognises an individual with a global vision to improve the health of our oceans and a willingness to go above and beyond others in their commitment to the cause. This year the award honoured Andrew Sharpless, CEO of Oceana. Since its formation, Oceana has helped protect more than 11.5 million square kilometres of ocean and has been behind 225 changes in legislation to conserve the seas. To read more about the work of Sharpless, click the link below.

Dr Rainer Froese, a senior scientist at Germany’s GEOMAR Helmholtz Ocean Research Centre in Kiel, scooped the Science Award this year after developing a computer program that measures stability and sustainability of fish stocks. To discover how his work is making a difference, follow the link below.

This feature is taken from the June 2020 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.