FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nominations for 2017 Seafood Champion Awards Open

Washington, DC (October 5, 2016) – SeaWeb announced the opening of nominations for the 2017 Seafood Champion Awards.

First presented in 2006, the Seafood Champion Awards annually recognize leadership in promoting environmentally responsible seafood. Nominations are encouraged on behalf of individuals or organizations whose accomplishments demonstrate outstanding commitment to advancing seafood sustainability in the fishing, aquaculture, seafood supply and distribution, retail, restaurant and foodservice sectors, as well as conservation, science, academia and the media. Nominations will close at 11:59 EST on December 3, 2016.

Mark Spalding, President of SeaWeb, opened the nominations saying: “Faced with the definitive challenge of our time—preserving the natural environment that sustains us all—the individuals and organizations celebrated by the Seafood Champion Awards respond with creativity, dedication, and faith in the future. Seafood Champions inspire us all to do more to protect ocean resources and the communities that depend on them. I encourage anyone who strives for a healthy, sustainable ocean to nominate a Seafood Champion.”

“In our movement, the Seafood Champion Awards really are at the top,” said Richard Boot, President of FishChoice and a 2016 Awards finalist. “It takes a lot of energy to come up with ideas to make change. It takes very little energy to find where the problems are, and even less energy to complain about them—but it takes a lot of energy, time, innovation, and thought to actually create a solution. To be able to recognize people for doing that is very helpful.”

Four finalists and one winner will be chosen for each of the following categories:

Seafood Champion Award for Leadership

An individual or entity that displays leadership by organizing and convening seafood stakeholders to improve the sustainability of seafood and ocean health.

Seafood Champion Award for Innovation

An individual or entity that identifies and applies creative new solutions to address: ecological challenges; existing market needs; barriers to sustainability.

Seafood Champion Award for Vision

An individual or entity that establishes a clear and compelling vision of the future that inspires positive change for sustainable seafood in technology, policy, products or markets, or conservation tools. 

Seafood Champion Award for Advocacy

An individual or entity who positively influences public policy, uses the media to raise the profile sustainable seafood, or influences public discourse and engages key stakeholders by publicly championing advances in sustainable seafood.

The 2017 Seafood Champion Awards will be presented at the SeaWeb Seafood Summit, held June 5-7 in Seattle, Washington USA. SeaWeb and Diversified Communications jointly produce the SeaWeb Seafood Summit.

To review guidelines or to submit a nomination, visit the 2017 Nominations Guidance page.

For more information including past winners, interviews, photo and video gallery, and media kit, please visit www.seafoodchampions.org.

About SeaWeb

SeaWeb is a project of The Ocean Foundation. SeaWeb transforms knowledge into action by shining a spotlight on workable, science-based solutions to the most serious threats facing the ocean. To accomplish this important goal, SeaWeb convenes forums where economic, policy, social and environmental interests converge to improve ocean health and sustainability. SeaWeb works collaboratively with targeted sectors to encourage market solutions, policies and behaviors that result in a healthy, thriving ocean. By using the science of communications to inform and empower diverse ocean voices and conservation champions, SeaWeb is creating a culture of ocean conservation. For more information, visit: www.seaweb.org or view the full release

# # #

Media contact:

Marida Hines

Seafood Champion Awards Program Manager

[email protected]