The Ocean Awards, held in partnership with Nekton and in association with Kensington Yachts, returns for its 11th edition, celebrating the individuals, community groups, innovators and academics who are making a real impact on understanding, protecting and restoring the marine environment.
This year saw 64 entries spanning the Arctic to Argentina, from an AI-powered whale protector to a young freediver turned pioneering coral expert, innovators tackling toxic algae blooms and even an orange starfish that became a national TV star.
But after narrowing them down to just 16 nominees, only eight winners and runners-up could be chosen, and these are celebrated here. We commend them all!
Innovation Award
This award recognises the individual, company or group that has publicly introduced innovative measures for reducing stress on the oceans or for improving ocean health this year. The standard of entries this year was exceptionally high, and two candidates tied in the number of votes they received, and so there are two winners.
Elena Martínez Martínez
Location: Spain/Dominican Republic
Initiative: SOS Biotech's efforts to contain invasive sargassum blooms
For the past 15 years, Caribbean coastlines have been inundated with rotting sargassum – a brown algae that releases harmful gases, threatens human health and deters tourism. Its ecological impact is just as severe, smothering coral reefs and seagrass by blocking light and oxygen, and overloading the water with nitrogen and phosphorus as it decomposes.
“Invasive seaweed has been rapidly overtaking our shores, accumulating in massive quantities and imposing severe environmental, economic and health burdens,” says Spanish-born Elena Martínez Martínez, co-founder and chief technology officer of SOS Biotech, the first BlueTech initiative in the Dominican Republic. “The phenomenon is driven by climate change and exacerbated by unsustainable practices in sectors such as agriculture and plastics.”
An oceanographer with a PhD in biotechnology and biomedicine, Martínez Martínez found a solution in harvesting the harmful algae. Local fishers were enlisted to turn their boats into high-capacity harvesters using her patented Littoral Collection Module – a system that can be fitted onto their vessels and collects seaweed directly from the water. In 2025, 160-plus fishers harvested more than 30,000 tonnes of it (some of them tripling their usual income in doing so). And to date, the module has also been licensed for use in Antigua and Barbuda, Puerto Rico and parts of Mexico.
Once on land, the sargassum is dried. “We then transform it into valuable products using our proprietary biorefinery,” she explains. These include agricultural biostimulants and bioplastics that replace harmful synthetics, support industrial decarbonisation, enhance food security, reduce waste and create sustainable jobs.
"Currently, we have four products on the market and three more in development," she adds. "So we’re covering the entire value chain, from harvesting invasive species to production development to commercialisation, ensuring that sustainability and local involvement are at the heart of everything we do. The line between waste and raw material is extremely thin. So our vision is clear. Profitability and economic growth don’t have to come at the expense of people and the planet.”
Whale Seeker
Location: Canada
Initiative: Pioneering the use of artificial intelligence to help shipping avoid whales and reduce the risk of vessel strikes
Whales are vital to ocean ecosystems. Throughout their lives, they store substantial amounts of carbon, which is sequestered in the deep ocean when their bodies sink after death. Protecting whale populations, therefore, benefits both biodiversity and overall ocean health. Yet many species are at risk: according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, six of the world’s 13 great whale species are endangered or vulnerable, and vessel collisions are a leading cause of death for large whales.
Based in Montreal, Whale Seeker is addressing this using AI and advanced imagery. Co-founded by ecologist Emily Charry Tissier, software developer Antoine Gagné-Turcotte and biologist Bertrand Charry, it develops technologies that detect marine mammals in aerial and satellite images, helping maritime operators to understand where whales are and how to avoid them.
Of the two technologies it has launched to date, Möbius analyses high-resolution drone or aircraft imagery to detect whales and other marine megafauna, while Cetus uses satellite data to track whales over vast ocean areas.
Building on these tools, it has developed Whale Seeker Certified Routes, a programme that helps the maritime sector incorporate whale sightings and environmental data into navigation. By highlighting areas where whales are likely present, vessels can adjust routes or speeds to reduce collisions and underwater disturbance. Rather than restricting shipping, this approach promotes safer coexistence between maritime activity and marine life.
“We believe whales and human activity at sea can coexist,” says Charry Tissier. “Our goal has been to provide operators with the information they need to make better decisions, helping protect marine life while supporting efficient maritime operations.”
The benefits extend beyond conservation. Whale Seeker’s approach can support lower fuel consumption, reduce operational delays and strengthen compliance with emerging environmental standards, all important considerations for shipping companies, insurers and regulators alike.
Young Initiative
This award celebrates and recognises an individual between the ages of 18 and 30 who is at the beginning of their career. They will have shown commitment and action within ocean conservation.
Ahmed Sh Ibrahim Sh Aba
Location: Somalia
Initiative: Pioneering work documenting coral reefs in his native country
Of Africa’s 54 countries, none has a longer coastline than Somalia –3,333 kilometres along the Gulf of Aden and around the Horn of Africa into the Indian Ocean. Yet decades of conflict and limited scientific infrastructure have meant that, until recently, its coral reef ecosystems have remained largely unstudied.
Born in the historic port city of Merca, Ahmed Sh Ibrahim Sh Aba, now 31, is a marine ecologist based at the University of Bremen in Germany. His research focuses on the benthic communities of coral reef flats – the organisms and ecological structures that form the foundation of reef ecosystems – along the southern Somali coast.
Growing up by the sea, he learned to free dive and developed “a deep attachment to the ocean”. By the time he finished high school in 2012, he knew he wanted to be a marine scientist - but with no such courses in Somalia, he moved 3,500 kilometres to Sudan on a scholarship to the Red Sea University.
For his master’s research, he carried out the first structured ecological baseline assessment of Somali coral reef flats. The data has since been integrated into the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and published in its Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025 report – the first time Somalia’s reefs have been included – and his work has been recognised by the International Coral Reef Initiative.
“Every data point was the first of its kind for Somalia,” he says. “It felt like opening a door that had been closed for decades. Coral reefs are facing unprecedented pressure. Yet in countries like Somalia, their decline [though evident] is almost invisible because the science simply hasn’t been done. These ecosystems support thousands of coastal families, yet they remain largely undocumented. Only scientific research can reveal what is happening beneath the surface.”
He now plans to pursue a PhD on coral biodiversity, symbiosis and climate resilience in the Western Indian Ocean with an emphasis on Somalia, where the need for ecological knowledge remains an urgent scientific priority.
Community Impact
This award recognises the individual or (grassroots/community-based/local) group that has had the most positive impact on the marine environment within their local community this year.
Malezi Mema
Location: Comoros
Initiative: Efforts to create a no-fishing zone in the Indian Ocean nation
Malezi Mema is a group of 68 fishers from three villages on Anjouan, one of Comoros’s three main islands in the channel between Mozambique and Madagascar. Its name means “parenting well” in Comorian (Shikomori). Inspired by no-take zones in Madagascar and nearby Mayotte, and in partnership with the local NGO Dahari, they established Comoros’s first permanent no-take zone off the island’s southwest shores in 2021.
The initiative quickly gained momentum. By 2023, fish species that had vanished from the zone were returning, prompting fishers to expand the sanctuary from eight to 20 hectares by the end of 2025. Most of the population of Comoros depends on fish as their primary source of protein, and the reefs that surround the islands in this archipelago are some of the most at-risk in the world. But by persuading local fishing communities to become stewards of the environment they depend on, rather than simply imposing restrictions unilaterally, a grassroots movement has been galvanised.
Malezi Mema’s efforts are now inspiring other communities to establish their own no-take zones. And at the start of this year, three more no-take zones, covering 85 hectares, were set up by villages further along the coastline.
“Fishery no-take zones are showing communities that they can take charge of the management of their natural resources,” says Effy Vessaz, Dahari’s marine strategy director. She highlights the energy and enthusiasm of the Anjouan communities in adopting further measures such as sustainable fishing techniques, further no-take zones and eventually locally managed marine areas. “No-take zones are a first step along the path to coastal communities in the Comoros taking action for improved livelihoods, well-being and what we call maecha bora ya ouvoimoja, which means making a better life together.”
Ocean Literacy
This award recognises an individual or group that has made outstanding contributions to advancing ocean literacy, enhancing public understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean.
Schmidt Ocean Institute
Location: Argentina
Initiative: Expedition into the Mar del Plata Marine Submarine Canyon
Last summer, a 21-day exploration into the depths of a submarine canyon off the coast of Buenos Aires uncovered more than 40 never-before-recorded species. Among them was an extraordinary orange starfish belonging to the genus Hippasteria (and not yet formally named). It – and the whole project – captivated audiences in ways no one could have predicted.
Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) controlled from the research vessel Falkor (too), the expedition was a collaboration between the Schmidt Ocean Institute, the non-profit foundation set up by Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, and Conicet, the Argentinian government’s National Scientific and Technical Research Council.
Scientifically, it was remarkable for a host of scientific discoveries, among new species of sea anemone, sea cucumber and crustacea. Yet its most striking impact was the way it gripped the public: daily 10-hour livestreams on YouTube and Twitch captivated more than 21 million viewers – mostly in Argentina, a country of 46 million.
Watched not only in homes, but in classrooms, grocery stores, bars, hair salons and gyms, the strikingly beautiful and extraordinary imagery became a national talking point. But it also served to raise awareness of the extent of plastic pollution as shoes and other debris were evident even at depths of thousands of metres and sparked a backlash against President Javier Milei’s plans to reduce spending on science by almost 45 per cent and cut Conicet’s budget by one-third.
As to the starfish, it has become a sort of national mascot. Nicknamed estrella culona – literally “big-butt star”; it’s obvious why when you look at it – by commentators and the media, it has appeared on T-shirts (with the slogan Preservemos todos los ecosistemos – Let’s preserve all ecosystems), key rings and other merchandise. It even had a cameo in an adidas TV commercial, starring Lionel Messi, that showcased the strip the Argentina football team will be wearing at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.
Judges' Special Commendation: Ocean Conservation Trust
Location: UK
Initiative: Ocean for All campaign
Based in Plymouth, Devon, the Ocean Conservation Trust’s mission is “to restore and protect the ocean”, not least by raising awareness and focusing on the therapeutic qualities of engagement with the sea, especially among those suffering from mental illness or with dementia.
To this end, its volunteers go into care homes, hospitals, sheltered accommodation and day centres with VR headsets and marine objects such as shark teeth, fish skulls and crab moults intended to prompt reminiscences, which can in themselves be therapeutic. Last year, the programme reached more than 500 people who would not otherwise be able to experience the ocean, 90 per cent of whom said they had discovered something new about the ocean. The Trust’s ambition now is to expand the programme nationally.
Science Impact
This award recognises the individual or research team that has made an original scientific contribution with a proven impact on sustainable ocean stewardship.
Jeffrey Bernus, director and co-founder of the Caribbean Cetacean Society
Location: Martinique
Initiative: Pioneering work in protecting whales, dolphins and porpoises
Growing up in Martinique, Jeffrey Bernus learned to dive at age 10 and knew early on that he wanted to devote his life to the oceans. After a master’s degree in marine biology and research in the Bahamas and Australia, he returned to the French Caribbean to take up roles with the Guadeloupe National Park and the AGOA whale and dolphin sanctuary – work that, in 2020, inspired him to co-found the Caribbean Cetacean Society (CCS).
This is a nonprofit organisation, he says, that is committed to protecting whales and dolphins by improving cooperation across a patchwork of different territories. Its work includes conducting research to fill gaps in existing data, improving public understanding of the oceans and strengthening conservation efforts by helping governments establish marine protected areas (MPAs). Today, it operates across more than 25 territories, from the Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago.
As to its recent achievements, it was instrumental in the creation of a new MPA in the Dominican Republic, making it the first Caribbean nation to achieve one of the UN’s 30x30 milestones, which aims to have at least 30 per cent of the Earth’s waters protected by 2030.
Working with local marine scientists, the CCS also persuaded the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to introduce its first regulations on the hunting of small cetaceans. And its research has led to new marine-protection legislation in Grenada.
In the Dutch Caribbean, it is helping Curaçao to establish a no-take MPA and advance the creation of a sanctuary for marine megafauna. And in Bonaire, it is working with STINAPA (the local National Parks authority) to develop a code of conduct for observing marine cetaceans. In Barbados, meanwhile, it recently completed the first standardised survey of cetaceans around the island.
“The species we protect don’t recognise the borders we’ve created and move freely from one island to another,” Bernus says. “The CCS exists to help the Caribbean governments to work collaboratively and help them fulfil their commitments to cetacean conservation across the region.
“It’s a labour of love,” he adds. “Very demanding and much more difficult than everyone might think. But I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Runner up: Dr. Paige Maroni
Location: Australia
Initiative: Polar BLAST
This is a deep-sea research initiative in partnership with Yachts for Science, an organisation co-founded by BOAT International that matches scientists with the owners of private yachts willing to offer their boats for expeditions and research. This year, it will enable Dr Maroni to dive in the Canadian Arctic, traversing the Northwest Passage and on to Greenland, an expedition that will undertake the first-ever deployment in these waters of a deep-sea lander (an instrument used to study the sea floor) as well as the use of an ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to explore one of the planet’s least accessible marine corridors.
Runner up: Alexis Chappuis
Location: France
Initiative: Work with Unseen Expeditions in Indonesia
Once believed to be extinct, the Indonesian coelacanth (Latimeria menadoensis) is an elusive species of marine invertebrate about which very little is known. (Fossil records of the first coelacanths date back more than 400 million years.) Last year, French marine biologist Alexis Chappuis became the first diver to photograph it in its natural habitat, at a depth of 145 metres, in the North Maluku province of Indonesia, providing valuable data on its behaviour.
BOAT International would like to extend a special thank you to this year's judges for their commitment to the awards.
To find out more information about the Ocean Awards, please contact the events team.