January 22, 2026
Published by: boote-magazin.de
The One Ocean Planet Foundation from Spain wins the "ocean tribute" Award 2026. The international education project, which puts children and young people at the centre of marine and climate protection, received the award, which is endowed with 20,000 euros, in the historic plenary hall of Düsseldorf City Hall.
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 begins with a deep sense of belonging to nature.
