Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution recognizes global ocean advocates

Eight ocean champions, including two former U.S. presidents, accept awards from one of the world’s leading ocean science nonprofits

Images of award recipients available for use can be found here.

Woods Hole, Mass. (January 6, 2026) — As we turn the page on 2025, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is recognizing eight global leaders whose actions have strengthened ocean science, protection, and public awareness, while marking major early progress in its Campaign for Our Ocean Planet. These leaders are part of a growing cohort of awardees that will continue to expand in the run-up to WHOI’s centennial year in 2030.

Throughout the past year, WHOI’s Centennial Medals and other awards have highlighted a diverse group of ocean champions: world leaders, explorers, philanthropists, and advocates whose efforts have reshaped how societies understand and care for the ocean.

Renowned oceanographer and ocean advocate Dr. Sylvia Earle accepted WHOI’s Centennial Medal at an event that also marked the public launch of WHOI’s Campaign for Our Ocean Planet on October 17, 2025, kicking off the most ambitious fundraising campaign in ocean science history. “A unique world leader in the past, present, and future of global ocean exploration and research,” said Earle, “Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution produces the actions needed to understand and maintain ocean health and prosperity for humankind.”

In a video greeting played at the fall launch event, fellow Centennial Medalist, filmmaker, and pioneering deep-sea explorer James Cameron, applauded WHOI for its spirit of exploration, saying, "At WHOI, curiosity is never idle. It’s a power source. An engine of imagination. It bolts innovative technologies onto brilliant ideas. It shows us what’s real and what works.”

Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush also accepted awards from WHOI with video greetings played at the launch event. The Blue Planet Stewardship Award recognized their leadership in establishing and expanding the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii, one of the largest contiguous marine protected areas on Earth.

President Bush congratulated WHOI on its 95 years of leadership in science, exploration, and service to the United States, and thanked the WHOI community for the work they do “to protect our oceans and make this nation a global leader in ocean science.” President Obama thanked WHOI for “being such an important voice right now” and encouraged the community to keep asking tough questions, following the evidence, and “reminding all of us that our blue planet is worth protecting.”

His Serene Highness Prince Albert II was honored last June at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, for his extraordinary leadership in global ocean governance and philanthropy through the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, which has supported over 750 environmental projects in 60 countries. “This medal holds great symbolic significance for me,” said Prince Albert II. “It embodies the long-standing tradition of Monaco in advancing oceanographic sciences, in the footsteps of my great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert I.”

Other Centennial Medalists recognized for significant contributions to understanding, protecting, and raising awareness of the ocean include:

• The Honorable Yohei Sasakawa, Honorary Chair of the Nippon Foundation
• H.E. Ambassador Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean

WHOI’s Campaign for Our Ocean Planet began quietly in 2021 and has already raised nearly $430 million, including more than $120 million from WHOI Trustees, prompting WHOI to raise its goal to $500 million. Funds raised will strengthen WHOI’s ability to attract and support top scientific and engineering talent, advance fundamental knowledge of the ocean, and develop science-based solutions to protect ocean wildlife and ecosystems, confront pollution and climate impacts, and open new possibilities for human lives and livelihoods.

“The future of the ocean is the future of our planet,” said Peter de Menocal, WHOI President and Director. “Reduced federal research funding and the accelerating pace of ocean change mean we must be more adaptable and more courageous than ever. Bold investments today allow us to advance the science and technology that protect ocean ecosystems, pioneer real-world solutions, and ensure generational continuity for future explorers and innovators.”

“With the support of our philanthropic partners, WHOI is unlocking the ocean’s potential to secure a thriving future for our ocean planet for the next 100 years and beyond,” said de Menocal.