Rolex Seeks Entries To 12th Worldwide Awards For Innovative Projects

Each Laureate received US$100,000 and a personally inscribed gold Rolex chronometer at a gala ceremony in Paris where the five winners – selected from more than 1,700 applicants from 116 countries by a panel of eminent scientists and explorers – were recognised for their pioneering projects in the areas of science, technology, the environment, exploration and cultural heritage.

The 2004 winners bring the total number of Laureates in the programme’s 28-year history to 55. Like their predecessors, the prize-winners’ wide-ranging projects share the common goal of improving life on our planet.

Last year’s Laureates were Lonnie Dupre, an American explorer undertaking the first summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean, on skis and by kayak, to raise awareness of global warming; Claudia Feh, a Swiss equine specialist establishing an interactive learning forum to help nomads and scientists to support the introduction of Przewalski horses to their native Mongolian habitat; David Lordkipanidze, a palaeoanthropologist who is working in his native Georgia to explore and protect the earliest known site of human activity outside Africa; Teresa Manera, an Argentine palaeontologist, who is preserving prehistoric animal tracks at a unique site on Argentina’s Atlantic coast endangered by tourism and erosion; and Kikuo Morimoto, a Japanese silk expert who is creating a model for revitalising rural Cambodia by reviving traditional silk fabrication.

“Over the years, I have been continuously impressed at how those singled out as Laureates overcome all obstacles to realise their dreams,“ said Patrick Heiniger, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex SA and Chairman of the Awards Selection Committee. “The 2004 winners are no exception. Whether helping to safeguard the planet by revealing the perils of global warming, protecting an important prehistoric site, or improving life in war-torn Cambodia by promoting traditional silk-making, the new Laureates are determined to advance human knowledge and well-being. It is this invincible spirit that underpins the Rolex Awards and makes us proud of our association with these enterprising men and women.”

The Associate Laureates

In addition to the prizes awarded to the 2004 Laureates, five Associate Laureates each received US$35,000 and a steel-and-gold Rolex chronometer. These runners-up were honoured at ceremonies in their own countries.

The 2004 Associate Laureates werere: Pisit Charnsnoh (Thailand); Laury Cullen (Brazil); Shekar Dattatri (India); Dora Nipp (Canada); and Joan Thompson (United States). Their projects range from using short films to educate policy-makers about environmental issues in India to creating an interactive museum based on oral testimonies of immigrants in Toronto, Canada.

Selection Process The nine, independent, voluntary specialists who comprised this year’s Selection Committee conducted a rigorous review of the candidates, applying their own expertise and spirit of enterprise to judging the projects. “A recurring theme in the winning projects is the importance of conserving our natural and cultural heritage,” observed Mr Heiniger. “The jury members were united in their support of these endeavours.”

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