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.
2024 recipient: Mohammed Kolugege
We’re excited to announce that Mohammed Kolugege, or K.G. Mohammed, as he’s known around his native Minicoy Island, is the recipient of the 2024 Seacology Prize!
A lifelong conservation leader, K.G. Mohammed has helped implement sustainable fishing practices, preserve shipwrecks that are now home to thriving coral reefs, and popularize environmental stewardship in India’s remote Lakshadweep archipelago. He has also curated the large collection of unique cultural artifacts in Minicoy’s Seacology-supported museum, playing a critical role in preserving the island’s unique history and cultural heritage.
We presented the award on Monday, October 14 at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, California. You can watch the full recording below.
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
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.
2021
Saw John Aung Thong is a member of the Karen community in India’s Andaman Islands. He has dedicated his life to preserving the fragile biodiversity of the archipelago and the vanishing cultural knowledge of his people. He leads a local environmental NGO and also welcomes visitors at his home, providing an authentic opportunity to learn about the Karen.