OceanLove Innovation Award and its new global ambassador Dr. Sylvia Earle Announcing Call for Second Round of Applications – Amsterdam, April 1st, 2025, The OceanLove Innovation Award, presented by the global non-profit initiative OceanLove returns for its second year. Under the slogan “Because you protect what you love,” the award aims to encourage all creative minds worldwide, to submit their ideas for new products, tools, campaigns or initiatives, that can measurably contribute to conserving the ocean, seas, marine resources and ecosystems.
The nomination period will run from April 1st to September 30,2025 and applicants can submit their ideas on the OceanLove website (www.oceanlove.news). Winners will be revealed on November 4th, 2025 during the second OceanLove Innovation Award Ceremony.
The OceanLove Innovation Award has been endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and famous ocean icon and new global OceanLove ambassador Dr. Sylvia Earle (89), also known as ‘Her Deepness’: “People need to participate as if their lives depend on it. Because it does!”.
OceanLove was launched in Egypt on World Ocean Day 2022 and the project is being managed by Egyptian freediver and four-time national record-holder Raghda Ezzeldin. Joining the team of judges this year is Egyptian environmental activist Mohamed Kamal, executive director of Greenish.
Dutch OceanLove founder Ilco van der Linde: “Thanks to the successful first edition in 2024, with 86 quality applications from 37 countries, we know there are countless bright minds around the world that can be mobilized to better protect our ocean. Within some years the OceanLove Innovation Award will definitely become the world’s biggest and most inclusive ocean innovation related project.” Please check here the new promotional video for the OceanLove Innovation Award 2025.
The Team of Judges, containing globally esteemed scientists, activists and established social entrepreneurs, will evaluate all submissions and select the top nominees based on several criteria including originality, impact, reach and feasibility. Up to thirty of the most promising ideas and participants will be pre-selected for an online bootcamp, where we will provide support to make their ideas more impactful, scalable and feasible. After the bootcamp, the judges will select the winners, who will be revealed during the award ceremony in November 2025 and receive ‘seed money’ up to 10,000 Euro to realize their project. Last year’s #1 winner Saad Abid (Morocco): “The seed money and PR provided my idea a huge boost, and now OceanLove also arranged a whole lab with technical engineers from their partner DOER Marine to guide me further!”. Here you can watch last year’s award ceremony.
About OceanLove Initiative
● The OceanLove Initiative is a project launched by Dutch social entrepreneur Ilco Van der Linde
● The global team of board members, judges, ambassadors, consultants and core-team members all work voluntary
● The OceanLove Innovation Award collaborates with the Marine Biological Association (UK), Mission Blue (USA), ECHT community (The Netherlands), Afrilabs and KMT House (Egypt), women’s organization Perempuan Indonesia Maju (Indonesia) and global peace-building initiative MasterPeace
● The OceanLove Innovation Award is funded by three Dutch foundations: Fred Foundation, Stichting Nieuwe Waarde and OOF Foundation.
● The OceanLove Innovation Award will annually continue to mobilize more participants, brainpower and inspiring results to turn the tide towards a healthier home for all of us and future generations.
For more information about OceanLove, interviews of media partnerships, please reach out to info@oceanlove.news
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OceanLove Innovation Award and its new global ambassador Dr. Sylvia Earle Announcing Call for Second Round of Applications
