January 22, 2026
Published by: oceanmagazine.com,au
Chosen from five nominated projects, the One Ocean Planet Foundation emerged as the winner of this year’s Ocean Tribute Award, selected by jury and the public and presented to founder, Dominique Lesser 20 January at boot Düsseldorf.
Since the launch of the Ocean Tribute Award in 2017, the German Ocean Foundation and boot Düsseldorf have been working hand in hand to support people, projects and initiatives that are passionately committed to protecting our oceans.
This year, Dominique Lesser accepted this year’s Ocean Tribute Award on behalf of all employees of the One Ocean Planet Foundation from Düsseldorf’s Lord Mayor Dr Stephan Keller, in the presence of Frank Schweikert, Member of the Executive Board of the German Ocean Foundation.
The speech for the winners was delivered by German open-water swimmer and jury member Leonie Beck. Marius Berlemann, Chief Operating Officer of Messe Düsseldorf, presented Dominique Lesser with a cheque for the €20,000 winner’s prize. The award ceremony took place in the historic Council Chamber of Düsseldorf City Hall. The Spanish-based One Ocean Planet is a global program that places children and young people at the centre of ocean and climate protection.
The international campaign “The Power is in Us” inspires school pupils and students to see themselves as part of the solution. It is built on three interconnected initiatives: the “University Challenge” engages Master’s students in solving real-world problems; the “Generation Blue” project combines project-based learning with Carlos Duarte’s “Ocean Wedges” and the “Planetary Boundaries” framework; and the “Hero Kids”, a youth movement that promotes early action. Together with partner organisation “10 Percent for the Ocean”, the powerful documentary Ocean with David Attenborough is screened, raising awareness in schools and communities of why tackling climate change must begin in the oceans.
About Dominique Lesser
The international campaign “The Power is in Us” inspires school pupils and students to see themselves as part of the solution. It is built on three interconnected initiatives: the “University Challenge” engages Master’s students in solving real-world problems; the “Generation Blue” project combines project-based learning with Carlos Duarte’s “Ocean Wedges” and the “Planetary Boundaries” framework; and the “Hero Kids”, a youth movement that promotes early action. Together with partner organisation “10 Percent for the Ocean”, the powerful documentary Ocean with David Attenborough is screened, raising awareness in schools and communities of why tackling climate change must begin in the oceans.
