The winners will each receive a cash prize, ranging from S$10,000 to S$25,000. They will also be given access to industry experts and collaboration opportunities to help amplify their voices and catalyse their impact. 

Last year’s winners of the Blue Water Heroes Awards were Melati Riyanto Wijsen of Bye Bye Plastic Bags and Youthtopia in Indonesia in first place, Thanda Ko Gyi of Myanmar Ocean Project in second place and Dr Louisa Ponnampalam of MareCet Research Organisation in Malaysia in third.

Read more: The conservationist who is protecting Malaysia’s marine mammals

Nominations are now open

The Blue Water Heroes Awards 2023 is now accepting nominations. Ten finalists will be selected among the applicants, of which three will be announced winners.

New to this year’s awards selection process is a pitch presentation, where finalists will showcase their organisation’s vision, impact and plans to a panel of judges. The judging panel for this year comprises executives and environmental experts from ONE°15 Marina, Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore’s Tropical Marine Science Institute, and Tatler Gen.T.

The presentation will take place on October 10, 2023 in-person at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove Singapore for finalists based in Singapore and virtually for those outside of Singapore.

The 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.
• They are the founder, co-founder or head of a social enterprise that is improving marine health and sustainability using technology-enabled solutions.

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. 

Nominations are open until 11.59pm UTC +8 on August 28, 2023.

Winners will be announced during the awards night at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove Singapore on November 3.

Beyond the awards

Also part of the ticketed Blue Water EduFest is The Ocean Collective Summit on November 2 and 3, featuring talks on blue finance, eco-tourism, and ocean technology and governance. On November 4, a beach clean up activity is scheduled as part of the long-running ONE°15 Eco Month. 

The Blue Water EduFest is organised by ONE15 Events Management, in partnership with Sentosa Development Corporation, The International SeaKeepers Society Asia and Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center.

More information can be found on the Blue Water EduFest website.

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