CELEBRATING DR SYLVIA EARLE’S BIRTHDAY YEAR

ENDANGERED MARINE ANIMALS category
The Sylvia Earle 90th Birthday AWARD of Excellence
This category raises awareness of endangered ocean animal species and rewards the Winner with the most distinguished award—
Dr. Sylvia Earle’s 90th Award of Excellence and
an Aurora Expeditions prize to the Antarctic or Arctic on the expedition ship the SYLVIA EARLE.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species – our planet’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species – at least 37% of sharks and rays, 33% of reef corals, 26% of marine mammals are threatened with extinction. Overfishing, habitat loss and degradation, pollution, as well as climate change, have beleaguered many ocean animals to the brink of extinction. Pictures or videos for this category should highlight the beauty of an endangered animal or the habitat of an endangered animal. Pictures of animals in this category must be listed in the IUCN RED LIST – https://www.iucnredlist.org listed as: RE – Regionally Extinct (regional category) : CR – Critically Endangered: EN – Endangered: VU – Vulnerable: LR/cd – Lower Risk: Conservation Dependent NT or LR- Near Threatened (1021).

SMARTPHONE PICTURES/VIDEOS Category
The Jennifer Hayes Award of Outstanding Achievement
The Smart Phone Pictures & Videos category is open exclusively to photographs and videos captured and edited with any mobile phone. The primary focus of this category is to encourage everyone to share their experiences in the ocean with the masses, especially through social media platforms. The key point is to capture the beauty of our ocean realm extensively and share the experience with everyone.