This week, Clean Coasts announced the groups, individuals, communities, and businesses who have been nominated in 7 categories for the Ocean Hero Awards for their outstanding work and commitment to their coastlines and areas.
Each year, the Ocean Hero Awards honour the invaluable contribution Clean Coasts volunteers, groups and communities have made towards conserving our spectacular coastline.
The awards, originally called the ‘Clean Coasts Merit Awards’, were conceived in 2006, consisting then of only one category, ‘The Clean Coasts Group of the Year’.
This year, Clean Coasts has chosen 8 dedicated categories with a total of 28 groups, organisations and individuals shortlisted for the title of Ocean Hero within each of the categories.
The 7 categories consist of:
- Group of the Year Award
- Individual of the Year Award
- Youth of the Year Award
- Beach Clean Award
- Campaigner of the Year Award
- Local Action Award
- Special Achievement Award
In County Dublin we have 3 nominees within 3 separate Categories including Bull Island Action Group in the Group of the year category, Rediscovery Centre Science Fair in the Campaigner of the Year Award for their work with the Clean Coasts and Irish Water Think Before You Flush Campaign and The Big Liberties Clean up in the Beach Clean Award category.
This year, the award ceremony will be held in person for the first time in two years to pay tribute to our ocean heroes after two years of alternative celebrations.
Rediscovery Centre Science Fair in County Dublin, have been nominated in the Campaigner of the Year Award category for the Clean Coasts Ocean Hero Awards 2022.
Dublin based Clean Coasts Group, Big Liberties Clean-up, have been nominated for the Beach Clean Award in the 2022 Ocean Hero Awards. Pictured are 4 of the groups volunteers during a clean-up event in Dublin
Sinead McCoy, Clean Coasts Manager said: “For the past 15 years, the Clean Coasts programme’s Ocean Hero Awards have been celebrating the incredible efforts of Clean Coasts volunteers around the Irish Coastline. We have nothing but awe and respect for the amazing groups and individuals highlighted in our shortlist for this years Ocean Hero Awards. We were delighted to have received so many inspirational nominations that show not only the true dedication of these coastal custodians, but also that their efforts don’t go unnoticed by the community”
In 2021 a total 36 groups, organisations and individuals were shortlisted for the title of Ocean Hero within each of the ten categories.
2021 saw Lidl’s Dublin Offices win first place in the corporate volunteer awards category for their various CSR clean-ups undertaken throughout 2021. The company had completed numerous Corporate Volunteering days in 2021 and their commitment to cleaning up various coasts and waterways in Dublin such as Seapoint, Poolbeg and Killiney beach was inspiring to see.
Three Dublin groups were also shortlisted in the 2021 competition in the Think Before You Flush category (supported by Irish Water) that acknowledges the work achieved by communities and individuals over the past year to promote the messaging of the?Think Before You Flush Campaign. These included Citibank’s Dublin Offices, UCD’s Surf Club and DCU’s Canoe Club.
After announcing the shortlist last year, we went on a road trip across Ireland to meet the winners of each category and surprise them with the news and say thank you.
These various ceremonies were filmed and compiled into a celebratory video that can be found on Clean Coast’s YouTube Channel here.