Inspirations
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#protectourocean
The stories behind the wave of change
Every finalist started with nothing but an idea. Read their stories, then look at yours again.
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The stories behind the wave of change
Every finalist started with nothing but an idea. Read their stories, then look at yours again.
Edition Two
Top 10 of 2025
Chosen from 260 applications across 64 countries.
Gauri & Akshay Salunkhe
#1
Reconnecting with Vanua
Indigenous youth-led reef literacy, blending traditional knowledge with marine science across Fiji.
€10,000
Hana Tohamy
#2
VeryNile
Fishers collect and recycle Nile plastic before it reaches the sea, turning waste into green jobs.
€5,000
Action For Ocean
#3
Matumbawe Hai
Coral restoration, sustainable fishing and financial inclusion across the Kilwa seascape.
€3,000
4
Kick-Out the Debris
200 young leaders across five coastal communities in Limbe, with cleanups and a biodiversity football cup
Cameroon
5
Sustainable Network Egypt
A national network linking Red Sea and Mediterranean sustainability projects — €1,000
Egypt
6
ClimatePod
A wet lab inside a shipping container that travels to monitor Mediterranean warming — encouragement prize, €1,000
Cyprus
7
Bahari Yetu Magazine
Swahili-language ocean science retold as community stories in Bagamoyo
Tanzania
8
Sachet, Away!
A comic and digital series on ocean literacy and deep-sea mining, made with local artists
Philippines
9
The Ocean Knows My Heart
A children's storybook and learning toolkit connecting Sinai and Tanzania
Tanzania & Egypt
10
Women Fisherfolk Leadership Corps
Leadership training, coral monitoring and sustainable fishing for women in Palawan
Philippines
Edition One
Top 10 of 2024
Chosen from 86 applications across 37 countries — the year that started it all.
Saad Abid
#1
Chbika
A simple, low-cost tool that sifts micro-waste out of beach sand — now a judge and Special Ambassador.
€10,000
Gabriela Casuso
#2
Charlas El Océano
Ocean literacy talks, videos and games for children — founded when she was ten, submitted at sixteen.
€5,000
Uriel Sanchez
#3
SeaSprout
Artificial rhodolith beds that restore trawled seabed and lock away carbon as the algae calcify.
€2,500
4
Alternative fuels from seaweed
Seaweed and green hydrogen turned into fuel at scale, with jobs for rural coastal communities — €2,500
South Africa
5
Guardians of the Sacred Waters
Indigenous-led protection of the lower Tapajós — €2,500
Brazil
6
The FlipFlopi Project
Plastic waste rebuilt into heritage furniture and traditional dhows, entirely within a closed loop
Kenya
7
Marine Protected Areas Day
A global awareness day connecting people to the protection of marine life
South Africa
8
Holistic coral reef restoration
Microfragmentation to rescue and regrow corals near Somabay and Safaga
Egypt
9
Algaritmo
An animated short on the quiet, essential role algae play in our ecosystems
Chile
10
Irrawaddy Dolphin Conservation
Protecting dolphins by preserving mangrove habitat and building local support
India
Your Turn
Got inspired? Yours could be next
Not one of these people had a company, a degree or funding behind them when they applied. They had an idea, and they sent it in. Applications for the 4th edition open in April 2027.
Seed funding
Grants to turn an idea into a first real step.
Coaching
An online bootcamp for the 30 most promising ideas.
A stage
The ceremony, the press, and a global network of OceanLovers.
2024 Winner with the team
Because you protect what you loveA volunteer-run non-profit, endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
