Nominations Open for Oceana‘s Ocean Hero Contest
Press Release Date: March 23, 2010
Location: Washington, D.C.
Contact:
Anna Baxter | email: abaxter@oceana.org
Anna Baxter
Today, Oceana announced its second annual “Ocean Heroes Award” contest and asked for nominations for those who make a difference for the oceans. For the first time, Oceana has added a “Junior Ocean Heroes Award” for nominees under 18 years of age.
Winners of the contest will receive a prize from Nautica and a trip to Los Angeles for the “Oceana World Oceans Day with Nautica and GQ” event on June 8. Nominations will be accepted at the official contest website, Oceana.org/heroes, until April 18.
This year, Oceana adds a “junior” category to recognize the next generation of ocean heroes.
“This is our chance to honor those –- young and old — who do great things for the ocean, but otherwise might not get the recognition they deserve,” Oceana CEO Andrew Sharpless said. “Not only will we honor the winning ocean heroes, but we will also highlight the wonderful stories of all of our finalists.”
Last year’s winner was marine biologist John Halas, who designed an environmentally friendly anchor and mooring buoy system that prevents damage to coral reefs. He has worked to expand this anchorage system in 38 countries.
“I enjoyed the recognition I received and was humbled by it,” Halas said. “People from all over had heard about the Ocean Heroes honor and congratulated me.”
“Nautica is proud to help Oceana recognize the everyday Ocean Heroes who contribute to the cause of protecting our oceans,” said Karen Murray, president of leading global lifestyle brand Nautica, which is the lead sponsor of the Ocean Heroes Award contest. “We want to do our part to recognize and share these thoughtful and inspiring stories with the rest of the world.”
Oceana will welcome the submission of nominees of all ages, although individuals nominating an Ocean Hero must be 13 years of age or older. After the nomination period, a group of finalists in both the adult and junior categories will be selected by a panel of experts from Oceana.
The public will be invited to vote and to choose the 2010 Ocean Heroes. The announcement of the winners will occur in conjunction with Oceana’s celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8.
All Ocean Heroes finalists will receive a Nautica gift certificate and their inspirational stories will be featured on Oceana’s website. Contest winners will receive a $500 gift card from Nautica and a trip to the World Oceans Day event in Los Angeles.
To nominate an Ocean Hero and learn more about last year’s heroes, including winner John Halas, please visit the contest page at www.oceana.org/heroes.
