A polar scientist, a robotic suit designer and an eye specialist who wants to save millions of people from going blind are among 10 innovators from around the world who have won Rolex Awards in the 40th anniversary year of the programme. Other winners have projects as diverse as technology to stop hunger and conservation initiatives to save species and habitats.
The 10 Laureates and Young Laureates will be recognized at a public awards ceremony in Los Angeles.
The Rolex Awards are an international philanthropic programme that supports new and ongoing projects by individuals taking on major challenges to benefit mankind. It has served as a benchmark for corporate philanthropy the world over for four decades.
Hundreds of luminaries, leading scientists, environmentalists and business people from Los Angeles and abroad will gather this evening at the Dolby Theatre, a Hollywood landmark that is renowned as home of the Academy Awards, to celebrate the spirit of enterprise manifested by the winners chosen in this commemorative year.
The 10 winners of 2016 join the 130 Laureates who have gone before them in the 40 years since the Awards’ launch in 1976 when the programme was created to observe the half-century celebration of the iconic Rolex Oyster chronometer, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch.
“We are celebrating a very significant occasion in the history of the Awards and in the history of Rolex,” said Rebecca Irvin, Head of Philanthropy at Rolex. “Forty years ago the company initiated the Rolex Awards to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Oyster in a manner that reflected the spirit of enterprise on which the company was founded.
“What better place to pay tribute to this enterprising spirit and the pioneering work of the 10 Rolex Awards winners than a city – Los Angeles – that embraces diversity and innovation.”
The six men and four women were chosen by an international Jury of 12 eminent experts who selected them after meeting with the finalists who had been shortlisted from among 2,322 applicants representing 144 nationalities. Each Laureate receives 100,000 Swiss francs (US$104,000) and each Young Laureate 50,000 Swiss francs ($52,000) to advance their project; all receive a Rolex chronometer and worldwide publicity.
The five Young Laureates announced at the Los Angeles ceremony are:
Joseph COOK, 29, United Kingdom – is a pioneer in the field of glacial microbiology who, through his Ice Alive mission, is exploring polar ice microbes in the vast “frozen rainforest” of the Greenland ice sheet and communicating how these microbes influence climate, nutrient and carbon cycles, and other aspects of our world and its systems.
Oscar EKPONIMO, 30, Nigeria – is addressing the problems of food poverty through Chowberry, a cloud-based application that automates the monitoring of food products approaching the end of shelf-life and generates notifications to food retailers, allowing them to offer discounts to charities, and ultimately helping to alleviate hunger in the country.
Christine KEUNG, 24, United States – emigrated to the US at the age of four and is using her education as a force for good by empowering women in north- western China, where her family originated, to work with doctors and industry to reduce water and soil pollution and act as environmental stewards and agents of change.
Junto OHKI, 29, Japan – is improving communication among hearing-impaired people worldwide by expanding a crowdsourced, online sign-language database dictionary called SLinto, which will bridge the gap between the 126 extant sign languages and become a global platform for all existing and new signs.
Sarah TOUMI, 29, France/ Tunisia – is spearheading a grass-roots initiative, Acacias for All, in Tunisia, to fight the country’s desertification caused by climate change and reduce poverty among farmers through reforestation and crops more suited to a lower rainfall. She also runs a non-governmental organization to help women and youth realize their potential.
The 2016 winners become part of the community of the Rolex Laureates and Associate Laureates who have helped to reshape the world in the 40 years since the Awards were created. Tonight’s 40th anniversary celebration in Los Angeles acknowledges the catalytic impact that they have made on their communities and beyond.
Rolex philanthropy
Philanthropy and corporate social responsibility have been an integral part of Rolex’s corporate culture since its beginnings. Suppor ting the greater good and individual achievement is fundamental to the company’s ethos. The Rolex Awards for Enterprise and its sister programme, the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, comprise the two major international philanthropic programmes created and run by the company. The Arts Initiative brings together emerging artists with masters in architecture, dance, film, literature, music, theatre and the visual arts for a year of intensive collaboration. The aim is to help ensure that artistic excellence is passed on to the next generation. Both programmes foster innovation and advance the work of those who exemplify the vision, originality and excellence that define Rolex.
