Blue Water Heroes
In collaboration with Tatler Gen.T, this event is specially curated to support, promote, and inspire fearless and passionate eco-champions to push the boundaries of marine conservation in their communities.
3 NOVEMBER
This platform provides a space for young eco-champions to pitch their ideas to our generous sponsors for funding and resources to further implement their conservation projects and efforts for the ocean.
Blue Water Heroes Awards Dinner
3 Nov (Fri), 7pm – 10pm
8 NOVEMBER 2024
This platform provides a space for courageous eco-champions to pitch their ideas to our generous sponsors for funding and resources to further implement their conservation projects and efforts for the ocean.
Welcome Video Address By
Dr Sylvia Earle
TIME Magazine’s First Hero of the Planet
Piano Performance By
Hillary Yifei O’Sullivan
Blue Water Heroes Awards 2024
The Blue Water Heroes Awards, one of the highlights of the event, celebrated and recognised individuals who have made substantial contributions to marine conservation. Ten finalists were honoured for their fearless efforts in driving positive change. Among them, Rose Huizenga, founder of Coral Catch, came in first place, Leon Boey, the founder of Livingseas Foundation, came in second place, and Ng Lee Kiang, Co-Founder of Young Nautilus, came in third place.
Highlights from the first edition of our Blue Water Heroes Awards, powered by Tatler Gen.T.
Blue Water Heroes Awards 2024
The winning prizes:
– Cash prizes of S$25,000 (1st place), S$15,000 (2nd place) and S$10,000 (3rd place).
– Access to collaboration, mentorship, speaking and networking opportunities with industry leaders and experts within ONE°15 Marina and Gen.T’s networks across the region.
– PR and marketing support through ONE°15 Marina and Tatler Gen.T.
The award criteria:
An individual is eligible to apply for the award if the following applies to them:
– They have made a positive impact in advocating for and protecting marine life and the marine environment in the last 24 months.
– They are primarily based in Southeast Asia or have made significant impact in the region.
– They are an individual advocate or leader of a non-profit or NGO advancing society’s awareness of ocean conservation through education or community to create scalable impact.
– Or they are the founder, co-founder or head of a social enterprise that is improving marine health and sustainability using technology-enabled solutions.
Nomination has closed and winners will be announced on 8 November at the Blue Water Heroes Awards Dinner, at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove Singapore.
Blue Water Heroes Awards Dinner
Be inspired by a select group of 10 award finalists who will be sharing their initiatives and ingenious projects in marine conservation. Join us in recognising the works of these passionate and fearless eco-champions from Southeast Asia.Constellation Ballroom
ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove Singapore
7pm – 10pm
Please be dressed in formal attire.
Event Highlights
– Sustainable dining experience
– All in-person networking opportunities with Blue Water Heroes 2024 finalists
– Live performance and entertainment
Winners of Blue Water Heroes 2024
1st Place: Rose Huizenga
Founder, Coral Catch
Rose Huizenga founded Coral Catch in 2021 to empower Indonesian women to become leaders in marine conservation. Its award-winning scholarship programme equips participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence to take on critical roles in this vital field. Coral Catch has since built a network of 28 “superwomen”, who work within their communities to safeguard marine ecosystems and serve as role models, teaching local women to swim, educating children about ocean protection and engaging in regular beach and underwater cleanups. Coral Catch collaborates with the local government and has established an MOU with the University of Mataram to strengthen its initiatives, and aims to empower 100 women in the next five years to pursue careers in marine conservation.
2nd Place: Leon Boey
Founder, Livingseas Foundation
Singapore-born Leon Boey Tze-chen is the founder of non-profit organisation Livingseas Foundation, which is committed to restoring and conserving Southeast Asia’s coral reefs. Based in Bali, It aims to restore a total area of five hectares along the island’s east coast, and create the world’s largest artificial reef. The current restoration site of 3,400sqm is the largest in Bali and located outside a fishing village in Padangbai. The organisation engages the local community in the restoration work and also allows visitors to actively participate through multiple hands-on activities conducted from an upcycled, purpose-rebuilt fishing pontoon.They are also involved in numerous other similar projects in Indonesia and Thailand.
3rd Place: Ng Lee Kiang
Co-founder, Young Nautilus
Young Nautilus is a Singapore-based conservation education organisation. Founded in 2015, it seeks to create awareness about our rich biodiversity, while fostering a sense of responsibility towards environmental and marine conservation. Its engagement programmes, which include Biodiversity Walks, Conservation Talks, and Values-in-Action workshops, reach over 10,000 audiences every year, from schools, corporate groups and families. Young Nautilus also equips young educators and advocates with hands-on conservation experience and knowledge, empowering them to drive meaningful environmental change. Looking ahead, it plans to broaden its impact with innovative nature-focused corporate programmes, outreach to marginalised communities, enhanced online engagement and expand its global conservation efforts.
Blue Water Heroes 2024 Finalists
Leon Boey
Founder, Livingseas Foundation
Singapore-born Leon Boey Tze-chen is the founder of non-profit organisation Livingseas Foundation, which is committed to restoring and conserving Southeast Asia’s coral reefs. Based in Bali, It aims to restore a total area of five hectares along the island’s east coast, and create the world's largest artificial reef. The current restoration site of 3,400sqm is the largest in Bali and located outside a fishing village in Padangbai. The organisation engages the local community in the restoration work and also allows visitors to actively participate through multiple hands-on activities conducted from an upcycled, purpose-rebuilt fishing pontoon.They are also involved in numerous other similar projects in Indonesia and Thailand.
Ng Lee Kiang
Co-founder, Young Nautilus
Young Nautilus is a Singapore-based conservation education organisation. Founded in 2015, it seeks to create awareness about our rich biodiversity, while fostering a sense of responsibility towards environmental and marine conservation. Its engagement programmes, which include Biodiversity Walks, Conservation Talks, and Values-in-Action workshops, reach over 10,000 audiences every year, from schools, corporate groups and families. Young Nautilus also equips young educators and advocates with hands-on conservation experience and knowledge, empowering them to drive meaningful environmental change. Looking ahead, it plans to broaden its impact with innovative nature-focused corporate programmes, outreach to marginalised communities, enhanced online engagement and expand its global conservation efforts.
Daniel Quilter
Co-founder, Fuze Ecoteer
Fuze Ecoteer’s mission is to connect people with nature. Its flagship programme Anak Pulau educates primary school children to be citizen scientists, trains secondary school children to be conservation divers and employs young adults as part of its freelance rapid response team (RRT). Over 25 village adults are now in the RRT and have removed 24 ghost nets, repaired 15 buoy lines and planted 250 coral nubbins. Fuze Ecoteer also maintains a photo-id database that tracks the local green turtle population, and works with the Department of Fisheries in their conservation. Its recycling project on the Klang river with the Lembah Subang Community has also far converted plastic waste to over 20,000 products.
Ziggie Gonzales
Co-founder of The Plastic Solution Ph
The Plastic Solution began as a grassroots effort to combat plastic waste through eco-bricking, successfully sequestering 10 metric tons of plastic. Today, it has evolved into a movement that addresses waste reduction, education, and ecosystem restoration at a larger scale—it has planted over 30,000 trees in the Zambales region and is expanding into mangrove reforestation. Education is at the core of its work—empowering communities with the knowledge and tools to fight environmental degradation. Through awareness campaigns, clean-ups, and partnerships, it provides alternatives to harmful waste practices, working with corporations to adopt eco-friendly solutions. It actively engages local communities with incentivised waste-collection programmes.
Sue Ye
Founder, Marine Stewards Singapore Limited
Volunteer organisation Marine Stewards was founded in 2019 to conserve Singapore’s marine biodiversity and habitats, and promote marine conservation among the population. It is supported by over 40 dedicated volunteers and has 200 scuba divers in reef surveys and 600 participants in its sustainable fishing clinics. Its citizen science programme has uncovered illegal sales of the critically endangered shovelnose ray in local markets, leading to the deployment of Singapore’s first sustainable fishing guidelines and fish ID cards. Marine Stewards’ public roadshows and talks have reached over 200,000 people. It further aims to restore habitats and address marine pollution sources in Batam, Indonesia.
Chien Le
Founder, SASA Marine Animals Rescue
Vietnam-based NGO Sasa Marine Animals Rescue was founded in 2018 with the objective of rescuing stranded marine animals and reviving damaged coral reefs in the central coast of Vietnam. Over the past eight years, the organisation has restored 80,000sqm of coral reef, and rescued hundreds of sea turtles and over 20 dolphins. Their in-house coral garden nurses 42 species of corals, both slow and fast growing species, and is the largest of its size in Vietnam. The SASA Team is currently working in four provinces in Vietnam: Danang, Quang Nam, Phu Yen, Phu Quoc.
Afiq Durrani Bin Mohd Fahmi
Director of Sustainable Ocean Alliance Malaysia
Dr. Afiq Durrani, a recognised IOC/UNESCO Ocean Literacy expert, leads Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) Malaysia, founded at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu. The organisation empowers youth to safeguard our oceans and address key threats like pollution and coastal degradation with initiatives including waste management, plastic upcycling, and climate resilience programmes. Projects such as MAQIVE, a digital platform for ocean literacy, and Crisis to Cuisine, which promotes sea urchin aquaculture, foster sustainable practices and support local economies. Its collaborations with schools, universities, and brands extend its reach across coastal communities such as Kuala Nerus, Redang Island, and Kapas Island.
Rose Huizenga
Founder, Coral Catch
Rose Huizenga founded Coral Catch in 2021 to empower Indonesian women to become leaders in marine conservation. Its award-winning scholarship programme equips participants with the skills, knowledge and confidence to take on critical roles in this vital field. Coral Catch has since built a network of 28 “superwomen”, who work within their communities to safeguard marine ecosystems and serve as role models, teaching local women to swim, educating children about ocean protection and engaging in regular beach and underwater cleanups. Coral Catch collaborates with the local government and has established an MOU with the University of Mataram to strengthen its initiatives, and aims to empower 100 women in the next five years to pursue careers in marine conservation.
Mark Joseph Laceste
Founder, Lalakbayin Ecoventures
Lalakbayin Ecoventures is an ecotourism and environmental consultancy founded in Palawan, Philippines, that empowers coastal communities and organisations through marine conservation and biodiversity investment. It collaborates with local governments, marine protected areas (MPAs) and international organisations to promote environmental programmes, citizen science expeditions, sustainability events, and livelihood opportunities for coastal communities. The organisation’s initiatives have impacted over 1,163 individuals across the Philippines. Lalakbayin Ecoventures aims to scale up by transitioning into a travel tech startup, digitising its services and mapping MPAs across 23 municipalities. It plans to integrate data science and AI to track carbon emissions.
Andre Saputra
Founder & Director, Indonesia BIRU Foundation
Established in 2020, the Indonesia Biru Foundation (IBF) is dedicated to marine research, restoration and community development in the coastal areas of Indonesia. The team has deployed over 1,600 marine structures, working closely with 14 local communities in Java, Bali and Lombok and over 30 partners—NGOs, local governments, and private companies. IBF’s mission is to increase marine literacy on marine ecosystems, with a focus on coral reefs and mangroves, harnessing research and innovative restoration methods. Its aim is to ensure the long-term sustainability of these vital ecosystems. Local community involvement, general public outreach and education are at the heart of its work—IBF boasts over 3 million total engagements of its social media content.
Panel of Judges
Presenting 2024 panel of judges for the upcoming Blue Water Heroes Awards
Arthur Tay
Chairman & CEO, SUTL Group
Paul Foster
Entertainment Personality & Environmentalist
Christine Amour-Levar
Founder & CEO, HER Planet Earth
Co-Founder, Investors for Climate
Tianna Nguyen
Founder, Alensia
Co-Founder, Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Singapore
Impact Investor, Philanthropist
Chong Seow Wei
Regional Senior Editor, Tatler Gen.T
Dr. Winston Chow
Professor of Urban Climate, Singapore Management University
Dr. Toh Tai Chong
Senior Lecturer, National University of Singapore
Arthur Tay
Chairman & CEO, SUTL Group
Paul Foster
Entertainment Personality & Environmentalist
Christine Amour-Levar
Founder & CEO, HER Planet Earth
Co-Founder, Investors for Climate
Tianna Nguyen
Founder, Alensia
Co-Founder, Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Singapore
Impact Investor, Philanthropist
Chong Seow Wei
Regional Senior Editor, Tatler Gen.T
Dr. Winston Chow
Associate Professor of Urban Climate, Singapore Management University
Dr. Toh Tai Chong
Senior Lecturer, National University of Singapore
