For more than 40 years, the Rolex Awards have supported individuals with projects that advance human knowledge, protect cultural heritage or help preserve natural habitats and species.
Join a Jury of experts to help select the five 2019 Laureates who will be supported by Rolex.
Discover the finalists and vote:Miranda Wang
Recycling unrecyclable plastic waste
If 25 year-old Canadian entrepreneur Miranda Wang fulfils her goal, a third of the world’s plastic waste – which now chokes landfills, rivers and oceans – could be converted into new wealth.
João Campos-Silva
Protect a giant fish for the Amazon
The largest scaled freshwater fish in the world – the giant arapaima – is bound for extinction. But in a close partnership with local associations and fishing leaders, fisheries ecologist João Campos-Silva has a plan to save not only the arapaima but with it, the livelihoods, food supply and culture of the indigenous communities who depend on the Amazon’s rivers for survival.
Topher White
Electronic ‘ears’ listen to world’s rainforests
Technologist Topher White is giving scientists and conservationists a unique view of wildlife in the world’s rainforests – through an alert system he originally developed to detect illegal logging using old mobile phones.
Emma Camp
Reef rescue with the toughest corals
Marine biologist and explorer Emma Camp is out to find the world’s toughest corals – and use them in the struggle to reverse the devastation wreaked by climate change and human activity.
Brian Gitta
Rapid malaria testing with no blood sample
A powerful new weapon in the war on malaria – a disease that attacks 220 million people every year – is the dream of Ugandan IT specialist Brian Gitta.
Grégoire Courtine
Help paralysed people walk again
For medical scientist Grégoire Courtine, a broken back need no longer be a barrier to walking again.
Krithi Karanth
Reduce wildlife-human conflict in India
As human numbers surge, conflicts between people and the planet’s dwindling wildlife are multiplying – but Indian conservationist Krithi Karanth is convinced this problem can be solved.
Sara Saeed
Women doctors for telemedicine in Pakistan
In the rugged hill country of Pakistan, doctors are scarce – and many families suffer from lack of medical care. But Pakistani doctor Sara Saeed believes she has the answer. At the same time, in the cities, thousands of well-qualified female doctors are staying home, unable to practice their vocation.
Yves Moussallam
Explore remote volcanoes affecting Earth’s climate
French volcanologist Yves Moussallam wants to shed light on a great scientific unknown: how the gases and aerosols emitted by the Earth’s 150-plus active volcanoes are affecting climate change.
Pablo García Borboroglu
Saving the world’s threatened penguins
An alarming decline in world penguin populations is spurring Argentinian conservationist Pablo García Borboroglu to launch an international campaign to find out what is going wrong – and how we can save these magnificent and fragile ocean birds.
