The German Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf have crowned a new champion in the fight to protect the oceans: the One Ocean Planet Foundation from Spain received the "ocean tribute" award on 20 January 2026. Düsseldorf's Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller personally presented the award to Dominique Lesser, who accepted the honour on behalf of all the organisation's employees in the historic plenary hall of Düsseldorf City Hall. The foundation prevailed in a combined voting procedure in which both a jury of experts and the public cast their votes in the public voting. The decision-makers in December 2025 were particularly impressed by the education-orientated international focus of the Spanish marine conservationists. The award has been presented since 2017 and supports people, projects and initiatives that put their heart and soul into protecting the oceans.
Prize money for educational materials
The award ceremony took place in a festive setting. In addition to the Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf, Frank Schweikert, Chairman of the German Ocean Foundation, and Marius Berlemann, Chief Operating Officer of Messe Düsseldorf, were also present. German open water swimmer and jury member Leonie Beck gave the laudatory speech for the winners. Marius Berlemann presented Dominique Lesser with a cheque for the winner's prize of 20,000 euros. At the presentation ceremony, Lesser was overjoyed at the level of awareness and acceptance that her organisation had achieved by applying for and winning the award. One Ocean Planet will invest the prize money in the procurement of further materials and media in order to inform even more young people and involve them in marine conservation projects.
Three-column educational programme
The educational project from One Ocean Planet is a global programme with a clear mission: children and young people should play a central role in marine and climate protection. The international campaign "The Power is in Us" inspires pupils and students to see themselves as part of the solution. The concept is based on three interlinked initiatives. The "University Challenge" involves Master's students in real problem-solving. The "Generation Blue" project combines project-based learning with Carlos Duarte's "Ocean Wedges" and the "Planetary Boundaries". In addition, there are the "Hero Kids", a youth movement for early action. In collaboration with its partner "10 Percent for the Ocean", the foundation is showing the documentary film "Ocean with David Attenborough" in schools and communities to raise awareness of why averting climate change must start in the oceans.
Dominique Lesser: A passionate educator
The founder of the One Ocean Planet Foundation, Dominique Lesser, has been passionately committed to transformative school programmes for over ten years. Her goal is to turn education into a tool for social and environmental change. As the initiator of various projects that connect school communities with ocean conservation, she empowers students, teachers and families to understand their role in the climate crisis and take meaningful action. Lesser's approach is based on three pillars: conscious education, protecting the oceans and building communities that provide real solutions from the local to the global level. She believes that the classroom has no walls - and that change starts with a deep sense of belonging to nature.
Other nominated projects
The other nominated projects, which are also developing impressive concepts for marine conservation, were also presented at the "ocean tribute" awards ceremony. The Iberian Orca Guardians from Spain are campaigning to protect one of the rarest orca populations in Europe with their "Save The Iberian Orca" campaign. Pop icon Sarah Connor and animal rights activist Janek Andre founded the project. Only around 35 individuals still live in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar and off the Iberian Peninsula. The Swiss organisation Marinecultures.org has been running coral farms in Zanzibar and on the Tanzanian mainland since 2008 in order to revive degraded reefs. The employees maintain 40 coral tables per farm and plant up to 10,000 corals each year.
Innovative solutions for marine protection
The Austrian initiative Sailing Insieme / F2 Eco was also among the nominees. It has developed an environmentally friendly antifouling alternative: an extremely hard, smooth coating that inhibits fouling and can be easily cleaned mechanically if necessary - without releasing toxins into the environment. F2 Eco contains no biocides, no silicone, no PFAS/PTFE, no VOCs and no other toxins. One coat protects for at least five years and significantly reduces material and labour costs. The Turtle Foundation from Cape Verde protects the endangered loggerhead turtle on the island of Boa Vista. Local rangers and international volunteers protect the mother turtles from poaching while they lay their eggs and clean the beaches of plastic waste, which is processed into sustainable products in the LixoLimpo upcycling initiative.
boot Düsseldorf as a platform
The "ocean tribute" award is closely linked to the boot Düsseldorf the world's largest water sports trade fair. With over 200,000 visitors from more than 100 countries and 1,500 exhibitors on 220,000 square metres in Halls 1 to 17, the trade fair offers an ideal platform for marine conservation. In addition to the presentation of boats, dinghies, superboats and luxury yachts as well as equipment for water sports such as diving, surfing, kitesurfing, stand-up paddling, skimboarding and canoeing, the focus will also be on marine protection and innovative, sustainable technologies. In cooperation with the European Boating Industry (EBI), the blue innovation dock offers a unique dialogue format with political, economic, technological and media expertise.
