Marine Life & Conservation
Calling all Ocean Heroes: Nominations open for Marine Conservation Society Young Ocean Optimist of the Year Award
The Marine Conservation Society is calling for nominations for its annual Young Ocean Optimist of the Year Award.
Now in its third year, the award seeks to recognise the achievements of passionate young people across the UK, making a difference for our ocean. The Marine Conservation Society is encouraging nominations for individuals who have made a positive contribution or effort to protect and celebrate the ocean in the past 12 months.
Whether they’re cleaning a local beach, raising awareness of amazing marine life, or sharing their passion through research, art, social media, writing, walking or more, the charity wants to hear about it.
The award consists of two categories – one for those under 12 years of age, and one for 13-18-year-olds. This year’s winners will be announced at the charity’s online Annual General Meeting on 17th of November.
The Marine Conservation Society engages with and encourages young people to become a voice for the ocean. Its Youth Ocean Network was established in March 2022 and has over 100 members across the UK aged between 13 and 25 who share a sense of ocean optimism and a passion for our seas. The charity aims to showcase and celebrate the enthusiasm of young people for the ocean through both this network and the Young Ocean Optimist of the Year Award.
Sandy Luk, CEO of the Marine Conservation Society said: “We’re proud to work alongside so many passionate and inspiring young people across the country to protect, restore and celebrate our ocean and these awards are a fantastic opportunity to recognise those who’ve gone above and beyond this year. Young people are the future – for us and for the planet. It’s extremely encouraging to see so many taking action and making a difference, and I’m really looking forward to hearing about young people who’ve used their creativity and ingenuity to help us protect our blue planet.”
Katie Macfarlane, Youth Engagement Office of the Marine Conservation Society said: “Young people today have endless passion, knowledge and drive to protect our natural world, and in my experience are incredibly innovative and solution focussed. It’s this optimism that inspires me to do what I do – I learn from the young people I meet every day and am consistently amazed by their dedication. I am really looking forward to hearing about a whole new cohort of Young Ocean Optimists via our 2022 awards.”
Links to short videos (under 5 minutes), audio recordings (under 2 minutes) and social media or online articles/blogs to support nominations are welcomed.
Nominations will be shortlisted by a panel of staff and volunteers at the Marine Conservation Society, using criteria such as the nature, impact and dedication of the nominee’s efforts. The top ten nominees will then be sent to the judging panel, which includes Sandy Luk, CEO of the Marine Conservation Society, and Gavin Stewart from the Scottish Youth Parliament.
The panel will then select the winner for each age category when they meet on 13th October. The winners will be announced live at the charity’s online AGM on the evening of Thursday 17th November 2022.
The deadline for nominations is Sunday 9th October. To nominate someone, head to mcsuk.org/ocean-optimist and complete the nomination form.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
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- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
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- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
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- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
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- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
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- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.
Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.
On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.
Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.
Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.
Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”
The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.
To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.
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