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Meet the Top 30 Finalists of OceanLove Innovation Awards 2026

The Awards Ceremony took place on October 11, 2026, at AltaSea, Port of Los Angeles, an afternoon celebrating the finalists and winners alongside ocean innovators, donors, students, and our global partner network.

#protectourocean

Meet the Top 30 Finalists of OceanLove Innovation Awards 2026

The Awards Ceremony took place on October 11, 2026, at AltaSea, Port of Los Angeles, an afternoon celebrating the finalists and winners alongside ocean innovators, donors, students, and our global partner network.

Finalists

Atlantic Origin

Atlantic Origin licenses a zero-energy salt-fermentation protocol that lets fish processors turn fish trimmings into premium fish sauce and organic fertilizer, so the nutrients never reach the sea. The problem it tackles is that fish processing discards 40 to 60 percent of each fish, and most plants dump these trimmings into coastal waters, where the nitrogen and phosphorus (about 24 tonnes and 5.5 tonnes per facility each year) feed algal blooms, deplete oxygen and create dead zones. It is important because it stops nutrient pollution at the source, gives processors a new revenue stream and adds no extra fishing pressure.

Portugal

Ocean Hack

OceanHack is a youth-led programme in Buea and Limbe, Cameroon, with three pillars: ocean-literacy lessons in primary schools, an open innovation challenge for secondary and university students, and a public pitch day where teams present their solutions. The problem it tackles is that plastic from households and markets washes through drains and rivers into the ocean, mangroves are cleared, and conservation has often been done to communities rather than with them, leaving young people with few ways to act. It is important because it stops pollution upstream while growing a generation of local ocean stewards who own the solutions; its first pilot brought together 15 teams from 15 villages, and the winning team is building a device to catch river debris.

Cameroon

Materials for Coral Reef Futures

Materials for Coral Reef Futures develops circular calcium-carbonate substrates made from reclaimed shell and coral-fragment waste, which can be cast or 3D printed and cured into a stable mineral matrix, and it is testing seawater stability, pH behaviour and biofilm and early colonisation against concrete and ceramic controls before any deployment. The problem it tackles is that many artificial reefs are built from construction materials such as concrete, which can alter seawater pH, carry a high carbon footprint and offer poor surfaces for marine life to settle on. It is important because it aims to create reef materials that are more compatible with marine life and less dependent on high-carbon inputs.

Spain

AquaProX AI: Predictive Intelligence for Sustainable Aquaculture in Africa

AquaProX AI is a predictive aquaculture platform that gives farmers data-driven insights on water quality, fish health and feeding, combined with training, enterprise support and a planned hub for hatcheries and incubation. The problem it tackles is that smallholder fish farmers in Africa often react to disease, poor water quality and feed problems only after losses have already happened, while growing demand pushes pressure onto wild fish stocks. It is important because it helps farmers prevent losses and raise output without adding pressure on wild fisheries, and it can strengthen food security and create jobs for young people.

Nigeria

BULIK MANIS — An Innovative Foldable Fish Trap Empowering Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries

BULIK MANIS is a foldable passive fish trap developed with Indonesian small-scale fishers. Its collapsible design allows fishers to carry and handle more traps efficiently while aiming to reduce unwanted catch and seabed disturbance, combining practical fishing innovation with community-based production, technology transfer and more sustainable fishing livelihoods.

Indonesia

The SATOORNIK Cascade™ (FC1 & FC5 Microplastic Samplers)

SATOORNIK develops lightweight, portable tools for reliable microplastic sampling in the field. Our SATOORNIK Cascade™ combines two passive units, FC5 and FC1, to capture different microplastic size fractions without power, batteries, or chemical additives. The goal is to make microplastic sampling simpler, more accessible, and possible across a wider range of real-world locations.

Germany

BahariHub Nexus

BahariHub Nexus is a foldable fish trap with a collapsible steel frame and durable netting that lets fishers carry up to 62.5 percent more traps on the same vessel, lasts more than 12 months and fishes passively and selectively, with a reported 75.4 percent rise in catch productivity. The problem it tackles is that small-scale fishers often use inefficient, bulky and unselective gear, and as stocks decline they add more effort, which drives overfishing, bycatch and habitat disturbance. It is important because it raises catch per unit of effort instead of total effort, which protects fish stocks and marine habitats while increasing fishers' incomes.

Kenya

Eco-Smart Fish Bait Solutions to Save Nyumba Sita, South Coast Kenya Juvenile Mangroves

This project addresses damage to juvenile mangroves caused when fishers dig around young trees to collect bait worms. By combining mangrove-friendly worm collection, bait-worm farming and locally produced alternative baits, the initiative aims to protect regenerating mangroves while ensuring fishers retain access to affordable bait and creating new livelihood opportunities.

Kenya

Living Seawall: Restorative Geopolymer Concrete Reinforced with Macadamia integrifolia Biochar for Coastal Resilience

Living Seawall uses geopolymer concrete made from industrial by-products, which reduces CO2 emissions by an estimated 50 to 80 percent and carbonates quickly to a safer surface pH, with a biochar-enriched surface that traps microplastics and wave-inspired blocks that dissipate wave energy while creating marine nurseries. The problem it tackles is that the Khun Samut Chin community in Thailand has lost about 90 percent of its land since 1973, and conventional cement breakwaters add to climate change through high CO2 emissions while leaching alkaline calcium hydroxide that harms marine life. It is important because it protects a threatened coastline with infrastructure that is low-carbon, chemically safe and ecologically productive.

Thailand

Enhancing the Artificial Reefs of Koh Tao through innovative 3D printing

Purpose-Built Reefs uses an in-house powder-bed 3D printer to create species-specific structures with shelter, textured surfaces and micro-cavities that match the needs of local coral species, working with Big Blue Dive Centre. The problem it tackles is that coral reefs around Koh Tao, Thailand, are declining from mass bleaching, rising temperatures and sedimentation, and the rebar frames used in many artificial reefs offer few protected surfaces for coral larvae to settle on, while cement-based materials leach chemicals into the water. It is important because better settlement surfaces could raise coral recruitment and help reefs recover in a warming ocean.

Netherlands

Women of the Sea Network: Building the Next Generation of Female Ocean Stewards

Women of the Sea Network builds a connected community of women through mentorship, direct ocean experiences such as swimming and diving, leadership training and storytelling, beginning with the Marine Explorers pilot at IED Magdalena School in Colombia. The problem it tackles is that millions of girls and women living by the ocean are disconnected from it, rarely see female role models in conservation, and are often left out of ocean leadership, while many education programmes deliver information without building lasting belonging or action. It is important because it creates inclusive, long-term leadership for ocean protection by helping women inspire and support one another.

Colombia

FLOAT Africa: Learn, Live, Love the Ocean: An Integrated Model for Ocean Literacy in Coastal Tanzania

FLOAT Africa helps coastal youth in Tanzania build a relationship with the ocean through Swahili educational films, swimming instruction and ocean expeditions. By combining storytelling with practical experiences including swimming, beach cleanups and open-water activities, the program aims to reduce fear of the ocean and turn ocean literacy into participation and stewardship.

Tanzania

The Coir-Netting Cage Initiative: Scaling Plastic-Free, High-Yield Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) Substrates across Coastal Tanzania

The Coir-Netting Cage Initiative is developing biodegradable aquaculture gear made from locally available coconut coir as an alternative to plastic-intensive materials and mangrove-derived wooden stakes. Designed for seaweed and sea-cucumber farming, the project combines plastic prevention with local manufacturing, skills development and new livelihood opportunities for coastal communities.

Tanzania

CHAOUI-BLOCK

CHAOUI-BLOCK is a patented construction system based on self-supporting interlocking blocks that enables large arches, vaults and underground structures to be built rapidly, without conventional formwork. The technology is designed to reduce construction time, cost, material use and carbon emissions while creating durable, resilient infrastructure. For coastal and urban resilience, CHAOUI-BLOCK can be used to build large underground stormwater channels, retention basins, reservoirs and wastewater infrastructure, helping cities manage extreme rainfall, flooding and rising climate risks while preserving valuable surface space.

Ghana

Fishing the right way: A Community CARE for our Ocean Ancestors

The project combines low-cost LED lights on fishing nets, which have been shown to reduce shark bycatch, with hands-on workshops in safe handling and release and a youth education game that presents sharks and rays as ocean ancestors. The problem it tackles is that artisanal fisheries in Cameroon catch sharks and rays as bycatch, and many are returned dead because fishers have no safe-release training, while fishers report that catches have dropped threefold and that some species are no longer seen. It is important because sharks and rays are keystone species, and the project protects them while building a lasting connection between young people and ocean stewardship.

Cameroon

OCEAN360 Global Academy — The First Unified Ocean Literacy Framework

OCEAN360 Global Academy is a unified ocean literacy platform with 106 modules across 13 progressive tiers, covering Ocean Systems, Ocean Life, Ocean Skills and Ocean Stewardship, and it awards competency-based credentials. The problem it tackles is that ocean learning is fragmented across marine biology, oceanography, diving and conservation ethics, so people often care about the ocean without understanding it as a system or having a clear route from knowledge to action. It is important because it moves learners from awareness to capability, creating advocates who can act on what they know.

United States

Ocean Shade Blanket

The Ocean Shade Blanket explores a temporary, nature-based way to protect vulnerable corals during periods of extreme heat and sunlight. Woven natural-grass matting creates partial shade above reef areas, reducing heat and light stress during marine heatwaves while researchers investigate its potential to give corals valuable time to survive and recover.

Taiwan, R.O.C.

Coastal Watch Schools: Youth Drones for Sierra Leone's Vanishing Shores

CoastWatch Schools equips students, teachers and university GIS students with drones and mapping tools to document coastal erosion, mangrove loss and restoration. By connecting youth-led monitoring with repeated surveys, restoration and public storytelling, the project aims to generate useful local environmental data while developing a new generation of coastal stewards.

Sierra Leone

What If Sargassum Could Give Back?

Grogenics is turning the growing challenge of Sargassum into an opportunity for regeneration. The project intercepts floating Sargassum before it strands and decomposes along coastlines, then uses controlled composting, bioremediation and biochar processes to transform the collected biomass into useful products while protecting coastal ecosystems and communities.

Monaco

Reef-Blue: Sustainable Solutions for Global Coral-Reef Ecosystem Restoration

Reef-Blue has bred fast-growing and stress-resistant stony coral seedlings, built a large-scale nursery system and developed an AI-powered underwater monitoring system, and it combines these with multi-stakeholder governance and public science education. The problem it tackles is that coral reefs face a shortage of high-quality seedlings, a lack of proven restoration methods and slow, labour-intensive monitoring, while the public has limited understanding of coral conservation. It is important because it addresses coral restoration as a whole, from seedlings to monitoring to community engagement, which makes large-scale recovery more feasible.

China

Guardians of the ocean (Dahab)

Developing Ocean stewardship: to promote Dahab as a leader and World recognized Eco-city. Through empowering local community & international travelers, particularly scuba divers, with the knowledge and opportunity to make hands-on conservation projects at their travel destination.

Egypt

Mo'orea Ocean Guardians

Ocean Guardians HQ is a community hub where Mixed Martial Arts and ocean sports, including surfing, free diving and va'a paddling, become the entry point into Indigenous-led stewardship, with youth trained in reef health monitoring and pollution tracking. The problem it tackles is that Mo'orea's coral has suffered two mass bleaching events, in 2019 and 2022, the traditional rahui governance system that protected the island's ocean has eroded, and young people aged 14 to 22 have few structured ways to become reef protectors. It is important because it reconnects young people with their reef and their heritage, offering a constructive path that serves both the ocean and the community's wellbeing.

French Polynesia & Canada

Inang Alon: Empowering Coastal Mothers in West Philippine Sea through Circular Solutions

Inang Alon, run by Alon and Araw NGO and the social enterprise Tagpi-Tagpi, intercepts plastic and fabric waste, turns it into wildlife-inspired products, and trains coastal mothers as creative entrepreneurs through the WOW (Waste-Ocean-Women) model. The problem it tackles is that the coastal village of Cabangan in Zambales, Philippines, has no municipal waste system, so families burn, bury or dump plastic on the beach, while fisherfolk face seasonal income loss and mothers carry unpaid care work with little access to income. It is important because it keeps waste out of the sea, teaches marine conservation through its products and creates income for women, and Alon and Araw has already diverted over 34,800 kg of beach plastic.

Philippines

NetCYCLE Africa

NetCYCLE Africa is building a circular system for abandoned, lost and discarded fishing nets and other marine plastic waste. Through collection points, incentives, traceability and partnerships for recycling and remanufacturing, the project aims to prevent ghost gear from remaining in the ocean while creating economic opportunities for coastal communities.

Ghana

GaiaOne Coral Academy

GaiaOne Coral Academy creates a training-to-employment pathway for local women to become certified divers and coral-restoration practitioners. Combining dive training, paid field experience, hands-on restoration and community education, the program aims to expand the local conservation workforce while putting reef protection, skills and livelihood opportunities into community hands.

Indonesia/Malaysia

GoldenRoots: Jute-Weave Bio-Shields for Sundarbans Restoration

GoldenRoots uses biodegradable woven jute Bio-Shields to stabilize eroding mudflats and give young mangroves a better chance to establish in the Sundarbans. Designed to biodegrade naturally, the approach combines ecosystem restoration with a local value chain involving jute farmers and community members in producing, deploying and monitoring the Bio-Shields.

Bangladesh

PlanktonLens

PlanktonLens makes one of the ocean’s smallest and most important forms of life visible to coastal communities through workshops and low-cost smartphone microscopy. Students and fishers explore the connections between plankton, fisheries, currents, nutrients and pollution, while citizen science, cleanups, art and exhibitions turn discovery into ocean literacy and stewardship.

Cameroon

WSANEC Territory, Southern Vancouver Island, Canada

This project pairs research-proven diver harvesting of sea urchins with the traditional fishery of the Pauquachin First Nation, which distributes the catch free of charge to community members, to restore about one kilometre of lost bull kelp forest. The problem it tackles is that kelp forests in the Salish Sea have declined by up to 74 percent, largely because sea otter and sunflower sea star populations collapsed and sea urchins overgrazed the remaining kelp, leaving barren seafloor. It is important because it restores an important marine habitat through a proven method while revitalising Indigenous food systems and addressing historic injustice.

Canada

Future of Sea Urchin Management

The Urchin CC Cage is a passive trapping concept designed to reduce excessive sea-urchin grazing in areas where urchins are preventing kelp forests from recovering. Designed to work alongside existing commercial fishing practices, the system aims to support kelp restoration while turning harvested urchins into a potentially useful resource.

Australia

BlueDune Reservoir: Preventing Floods, Stopping Plastic, Restoring Dunes

BlueDune Reservoir is a modular underground system installed upstream of coastal outfalls that stores stormwater during high tide, uses removable screens to catch plastic, filters the water and releases it to irrigate native dune vegetation. The problem it tackles is that low-lying coastal cities such as those in Morocco flood when high tides block gravity drains, and the runoff that eventually escapes carries plastic, sediment and hydrocarbons into the sea, while coastal dunes that act as natural storm barriers degrade for lack of water. It is important because it solves flooding, marine pollution and dune restoration together, rather than treating each problem separately.

Morocco

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