Cover Back for its third edition, The Blue Water Heroes awards honours and elevates the efforts of individuals dedicated to safeguarding marine ecosystems and seaside populations
Back for its third edition, The Blue Water Heroes awards honours and elevates the efforts of individuals dedicated to safeguarding marine ecosystems and seaside populations
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Southeast Asia’s premier marine conservation award, the Blue Water Heroes, recognises marine conservation champions from around the region
“The ocean is the cornerstone of Earth’s life support system. It shapes climate and weather. It holds most of life on Earth. Ninety-seven percent of Earth’s water is in the ocean. No blue, no green. No ocean, no us,” Dr Sylvia Earle, conservation champion, oceanographer, explorer and author said these powerful words.
It is imperative that we conserve this precious resource, the state of which is transforming at an alarming rate. Although driven by many factors, human-driven activities such as indiscriminate habitat destruction, plastic pollution and overfishing are immediate threats to the health of our oceans.
Read more: Saving nemo: Why protecting our oceans is everyone’s problem
Above Highlights of the Blue Water Heroes awards 2023
ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove Singapore has, for years, committed itself to advancing this conversation on marine and coastal conservation towards implementable action. Its annual event Blue Water EduFest, organised by ONE°15 Events Management, has been a step in that direction to reiterate the importance of collaborative action to promote awareness, encourage innovation and influence policy and legislation.
Key to these efforts has been supporting passionate leaders around Southeast Asia working on the ground through the Blue Water Heroes, an annual award powered by Tatler Gen.T. These are individuals tackling the pressing challenges threatening our marine and coastal environments through effective and innovative solutions, from grassroots action to utilising deep-tech to remove plastic waste from our waters.
Read more: Blue Water Heroes: Three changemakers recognised at the second edition of the awards
The countdown for nominations has started
Nominations for the Blue Water Heroes are now open until 11.59pm UTC +8 on August 21, 2024.
If you have dedicated your life to conserving coastal and/or marine ecosystems in Southeast Asia or know someone who deserves recognition, we would love to hear from you.
Ten applicants will be shortlisted to participate in a pitch presentation on October 10. They will be expected to showcase the vision, impact and goals of their initiative or venture to a panel of judges comprising environmental experts, marine conservationists and impact investors.
Candidates based in Singapore will be required to pitch in person, while overseas candidates will do so virtually.
Above Arthur Tay, CEO of SUTL Group of Companies and owner of ONE°15, is one of seven judges for Blue Water Heroes 2024
Above Environmentalist and television personality Paul Foster is one of the judges for Blue Water Heroes 2024
Arthur Tay, CEO of SUTL Group of Companies and owner of ONE°15, is one of seven judges for Blue Water Heroes 2024
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Three winners will be selected and announced during the Blue Water Heroes award ceremony on November 8.
Each winner will receive a cash prize ranging from S$10,000 to S$25,000. They will also gain access to industry experts and collaboration opportunities with ONE°15 Marina and Tatler Gen.T to help amplify their presence and impact.
Read more: Climate Changed: How Vriko Yu targets sustainability trailblazers to save coral reefs
The award criteria
An individual is eligible to apply for the award if the following applies to them:
- They have made a positive impact in advocating for and protecting marine life and the marine environment in the last 24 months.
- They are primarily based in Southeast Asia or have made significant impact in the region.
- They are an individual advocate or leader of a non-profit or NGO advancing society’s awareness of ocean conservation through education or community to create scalable impact.
- Or they are the founder, co-founder or head of a social enterprise that is improving marine health and sustainability using technology-enabled solutions.
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The prize
- Cash prizes of S$25,000 (1st place), S$15,000 (2nd place) and S$10,000 (3rd place).
- Access to collaboration, mentorship, speaking and networking opportunities with industry leaders and experts within ONE°15 Marina and Gen.T’s networks across the region.
- PR and marketing support through ONE°15 Marina and Gen.T.
If you fit the selection criteria or know someone who does, we invite you to submit a nomination for the Blue Water Heroes Awards.
The finalists and judges of the Blue Water Heroes 2023
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Beyond the awards
The three-day ticketed Blue Water EduFest will also feature Blue Eco Summit on November 7 and 8, in partnership with Ocean Geographic.
Dr Earle, who has made significant contributions to marine science and conservation for over six decades, will be the keynote speaker. The conference also brings together scientists, policymakers and other stakeholders across the marine conservation spectrum to discuss topics such as the High Seas Treaty, blue carbon, and deep sea mining. This includes Tetiaroa Society’s Richard Bailey, Mickey Rogers of Sustainable Ocean Alliance Pacific Northwest and culinary anthropologist Nithiya Laila.
Above From left to right: Marine biologist Dr Sylvia Earle with renowned primatologist Jane Goodall and environmentalist Pablo Borboroglu at a special screening of “Penguins” at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on April 14, 2019 in New York City (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
From left to right: Marine biologist Dr Sylvia Earle with renowned primatologist Jane Goodall and environmentalist Pablo Borboroglu at a special screening of “Penguins” at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on April 14, 2019 in New York City (Photo by Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
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This year’s event will introduce a series of activation programmes leading up to the main event aimed at helping the community understand the challenges posed by marine pollution and declining ecosystems, to create sustainable and effective conservation efforts.
On November 9, a beach clean-up activity will be held as part of the long-running ONE°15 Eco Month.
The Blue Water EduFest is organised by ONE°15 Events Management, in partnership with Sentosa Development Corporation and Ocean Geographic. More information can be found on the Blue Water EduFest website.
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