International non-profit initiative, OceanLove, has opened applications for its 2025 Innovation Award, calling on creative minds worldwide to submit ideas that could help save the ocean.
Under the slogan “Because you protect what you love”, the award aims to mobilize global efforts to protect marine ecosystems.
The initiative, endorsed by the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, invites applications from April 1 to September 30, 2025, through the official website, www.oceanlove.news.
Winners, who will receive up to €10,000 in seed money to bring their projects to life, are set to be announced on November 4, 2025, at the OceanLove Innovation Award Ceremony.
OceanLove founder Ilco van der Linde, expressed optimism about the award’s growing impact.
He stated that the award, in a few years, could become the world’s biggest and most inclusive ocean innovation project.
“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,” he said.
Dr. Sylvia Earle, a renowned ocean explorer and the new global ambassador for OceanLove, emphasized the urgency of conservation efforts, stating, “People need to participate as if their lives depend on it. Because it does!”
In Nigeria, Anthony Akpan, the OceanLove ambassador and leader of the Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE), is championing participation from the country.
Speaking on the significance of ocean conservation, Akpan noted, “The ocean is the cornerstone for all life on Earth.”
Participants will have their ideas evaluated by a panel of esteemed scientists, activists, and entrepreneurs.
The top nominees will join an online bootcamp, where they will receive support to enhance the impact, feasibility, and scalability of their projects.
With funding from Dutch foundations, including Fred Foundation, Stichting Nieuwe Waarde, and OOF Foundation, the OceanLove Innovation Award continues to expand its global reach, collaborating with organizations such as the Marine Biological Association (UK), Mission Blue (USA), and Afrilabs (Africa).
Aspiring Nigerian innovators are encouraged to submit their applications before the deadline to seize the opportunity to make a lasting impact on ocean conservation.