Carl Safina, president and co-founder of the Blue Ocean Institute and adjunct faculty member in Stony Brook’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, is among 29 animal conservationists who have dedicated their lives to saving the Earth’s endangered species and have been nominated to receive the biennial Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. The nominees’ work spans the globe, representing a range of species from insects to mammals, and includes amphibians, elephants, bats, wolves, and sharks, among many others.
Safina was nominated for bringing ocean conservation into the environmental mainstream by using science, art, and literature to inspire “sea ethic.” Through the Blue Ocean Institute, he helps inspire solutions and a deeper connection with nature, sharing reliable information that enlightens personal choices, instills hope, and helps restore living abundance in the ocean.
The nominating committee will review the applications and select the six finalists, who will be announced in the spring of 2010. The prize jury will then determine the winner, who will be announced in mid-2010 and honored at the next Indianapolis Prize Gala, to be held September 25, 2010, in Indianapolis.
In addition to receiving the $100,000 prize, the recipient is also awarded the Lilly Medal, an original work of art that signifies the winner’s contributions to conserving some of the world’s most threatened animals.
The biennial Indianapolis Prize represents the largest individual monetary award for animal conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree. It was initiated by the Indianapolis Zoo.
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