Deadline: 30 June 2017 | Register here
Eligibility: candidates must be aged between 18–30 years
Prizes: each winner receives 100,000 Swiss francs. In addition, Rolex ensures winners receive access to its network of more than 100 past Laureates, as well as the benefit of international publicity through media coverage and the Rolex Awards website
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise 2018
Since 1976, Rolex has honoured extraordinary individuals who possess the courage and conviction to take on major challenges.
Each Rolex Award for Enterprise is given for a new or ongoing project anywhere in the world – one that deserves support for its capacity to improve lives or protect the world’s natural and cultural heritage. These projects have touched all aspects of humanity by expanding knowledge or improving life on the planet.
Who are the Young Leaders?
Rolex recognizes the refreshing approach that young people have to solving problems. The first set of Awards devoted to Young Laureates, aged between 18 and 30 years, took place in 2009 with the idea of supporting visionary young men and women at a critical juncture in their careers.
In 2018, the programme is seeking Young Leaders who have the initiative to advance human knowledge or improve life on the planet.
The spirit of enterprise
Rolex Laureates are of all nationalities and backgrounds. They are united by a talent for independent thinking and the capacity to embrace projects that require creativity and determination in the face of considerable odds.
Selection criteria
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise support pioneering work in three areas:
- the environment
- applied science
- technology or exploration
In addition to demonstrating a spirit of enterprise and leadership, candidates must put forward projects or work plans that have a clear purpose, are original and have the potential for significant impact.
Rolex Laureates pursue their goals with vision and determination. Many of their ultimate aims are shared.
Themes include:
Protecting threatened birds: As scientists warn of the pending extinction of thousands of bird species, Rolex Laureates are fighting back.
Electronic eyes in the wild: New tracking technologies developed by Rolex Laureates are proving a powerful weapon in the race to save endangered species.
Elegant solutions: Great answers to some of the world’s most difficult problems can be surprisingly simple, with a dash of innovative thinking.
Enterprise in India: This vibrant country is demonstrating how great things can happen when enterprise meets creativity, ingenuity, determination and tenacity.
Perilous journeys: For some extraordinary people, the pursuit of scientific knowledge and the thirst for adventure are worth putting their lives at risk.
Saving fragile ecosystems: Guardians of forests and waterways are finding inspiring ways to conserve the Earth’s bio-sphere and improve the lives of the world’s poorest people.
The power of education: Rolex has discovered individuals whose selfless determination has given young people a greater sense of their place in the world.
Empowering women: Some of the most inspiring stories arising from the Awards concern the liberation of women from the oppression of dependence and poverty.
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