Each year, we award the Seacology Prize to an islander for exceptional achievement in preserving island environments and culture. This honor comes with an award of $10,000 and a trip to the United States for a public award ceremony in October.
2025 recipient: Cynthia Ong
We’re excited to announce that Cynthia Ong will be awarded the 2025 Seacology Prize this October! This dedicated environmental leader has worked tirelessly to halt ecological damages on Borneo, as well as promoting positive, sustainable policies and actions to help her island and its people thrive.
Among other accomplishments, Cynthia has helped found a renewable energy coalition that will bring clean power to remote indigenous communities. Her work on certifying sustainable palm oil has gone far to reduce the damage that oil palm plantations do to the island’s forests and communities. She was also key in developing a working group that succeeded in getting the Sunda pangolin listed as a “totally protected species” under Sabah State law.
In isolation, any of these campaigns would be monumental. In parallel, they exemplify a unique conservation approach that balances economic development aspirations with ecological sustainability. Cynthia’s hope is that through these multi-pronged efforts, she may positively shift the political ecology of her home state of Sabah—which just happens to be one of the most diverse island environments in the world.
We will present Cynthia Ong with the Seacology Prize on Monday, October 13, at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California. The event will include complimentary appetizers, drinks, and desserts at a reception on the terrace. As always, this event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. We encourage you to reserve your seat soon!
If you’re unable to attend in person, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the livestream of the Seacology Prize Ceremony.
About the Seacology Prize
The first Seacology Prize went to Chief Ulu of Samoa, in the South Pacific. To protect his village’s ancestral rainforest, the chief resisted years of pressure from logging companies.
Since then, Seacology has honored dozens more determined and inspiring men and women from around the world. Every one of them has faced resistance, taken risks, and made personal sacrifices. Some have faced grave personal danger—but persisted to protect the islands they call home.
The Seacology Prize is underwritten by Seacology’s President Ken Murdock, in honor of his mother, Lalovi Fish Murdock.
Recent recipients
2024
Mohammed Kolugege has spent decades working to preserve the fragile ecology and unique history and culture of his native island in India’s remote Lakshadweep archipelago. He has led efforts to protect local coral reefs, curates a museum of the local seafaring culture on Minicoy Island, and helped preserve the island’s unique folk song and dance traditions.
2023
Dr. Jonah Ratsimbazafy is an accomplished primatologist who has made it his life’s work to protect the threatened lemurs only found in his native Madagascar. He works with local communities to build support for conservation across a country where widespread poverty poses severe threats to the island’s famous biodiversity.
2022
Kevin Iro is a former international rugby star from the Cook Islands, who was instrumental in the creation of Marae Moana, the world’s largest multi-use marine park. Legally established in 2017, the reserve protects the entirety of the country’ exclusive economic zone, an expanse of ocean roughly the size of Mexico.