TEN individuals, all of whom involved in projects meant to make the world a better place, have been selected by an international jury as finalists in the 2019 Rolex Awards for Enterprise.
The program, started in 1976 on the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster, supports people with projects aiming to improve human well-being and protecting natural heritage. It is a part of Rolex’s Perpetual Planet campaign based on the vision and values of Rolex founder Hans Wilsdorf.
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise, along with key individuals and organizations, seek to find solutions to environmental challenges.
Currently, the campaign also targets increased support for oceanographer Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue network of marine-protected “Hope Spots,” as well as for the National Geographic Society’s efforts in collecting data on climate change.
The 10 Rolex Awards for Enterprise finalists come from nine countries. Their ages range from 25 to 49. They were selected from 957 applicants coming from 111 countries. Nearly 40% of applicants were women.
The finalists are British marine scientist Emma Camp (involved in coral reef protection), Brazilian environmentalist Joao Campos-Silva (saving the world’s largest scaled freshwater fish), French scientist Gregoire Courtine (electronic device designed to make paralytics walk again), Argentinian biologist Pablo Garcia Borboroglu (preservation of penguin habitat), Ugandan Brian Gitta (improved diagnosis of malaria), Indian Krithi Karanth (social programs for people living around Indian national wildlife parks), French volcanologist Yves Moussallam (study on the effects of volcanic gases on global climate), Pakistani public health specialist Sara Saeed (primary healthcare to stem infant and maternal deaths), Canadian molecular biologist Miranda Wang (prevention of plastic pollution), and American technologist Topher White (rainforest protection via real-time reporting of illegal logging).
Each finalist receives CHF200,000, intended to advance his or her project. Besides guaranteed worldwide publicity for their initiatives, each finalist also gets a Rolex timepiece.
Vote For A Better World
You have the chance to pick which among them have projects which inspire you the most. Take part in the public voting on https://www.rolex.org/rolex-awards/finalists
The five new Laureates will be announced on June 14.
