The "ocean tribute" Award has been presented annually at boot in Düsseldorf since 2018. Prominent award winners such as Boris Herrmann and well-known laudators like Hannes Jaenicke or Dirk Steffens as presenter testify to the exceptional attention paid to the award. The prize is sponsored by the Prince Albert II Foundation, the German Marine Foundation, boot Düsseldorf and seabob, a manufacturer of electric sea scooters. The winner will receive €20,000 in prize money and the attention of the international boot community at the award ceremony on 22 January at the blue motion night at the fair. Projects that promote the protection of waters and oceans with promising technologies and ideas are in demand. For example, the focus can be on reducing the amount of waste or combating the acidification of the oceans. Research projects that develop sustainable management and thus contribute significantly to the protection of marine and coastal ecosystems or increase fish stocks again in the future are also in demand.
Interested associations, projects or institutions should apply for the award by 31 July at https://oceantributeaward.boot.de/en/Home. A jury of experts from business, science and society will review the effectiveness and feasibility of the entries and select five nominees. These will be presented with their projects on the award website and will be available for the boot fans to vote for in the subsequent public voting.
In addition to Herrmann and his Malizia team, previous winners of the award include Innovation Yachts with a sustainable catamaran powered by solar energy, HelioRec with its floating solar power plants for marinas and the Coral Sea Foundation, which trains Melanesians in diving and marine biology studies. "The ocean tribute has become a prestigious and highly regarded award. We have applications and winners from all over the world. This shows that the message for ocean protection that boot and its partners want to bring to the world with the award is also being heard. I am already very excited about this year's nominees", explains Petros Michelidakis, Director of boot Düsseldorf. Among the community in the boot.club, the fair will raffle off a participation for two persons in the blue motion night and a Meet&Greet with the winner of the "ocean tribute" 2024 in December.
About boot Düsseldorf
boot Düsseldorf has been the home port and motor of international water sports since 1969. From 20 to 28 January 2024, it offers boating in all its facets and has the top brands on board. Both sailors and motor boaters will find a comprehensive range of products here, from entry-level boats and dinghies to luxury yachts. Diving, surfing, and paddling are also in the spotlight at boot. With the innovative and technically sophisticated products of the exhibitors, boot is the international innovation platform for its sector and every year in January the starting signal for the new water sports season. The comprehensive tourist offer for holidays and sports on, at and in the water of the "Destination Seaside" attracts all people who want to spend their leisure time by the sea, rivers and lakes. The international sustainability forum "blue innovation dock", attractive stage program with interesting interview partners from the industry, the latest trend sport offers and a top-class mix of workshops and meetings for both leisure sports enthusiasts and experts make the fair unique worldwide. This makes boot Düsseldorf once again the first address for both the water sports enthusiast family and international experts in 2024.
