Island Innovation, in collaboration with the Clinton Global Initiative has announced the winners of the inaugural Island Innovation Awards, celebrating excellence in sustainable development in islands across the globe. The awards were officially announced in a special ceremony during the Island Finance Forum, involving representatives from the Clinton Global Initiative, Earthshot Prize and members of the esteemed judging panel.

Launched by President Bill Clinton at last year’s Virtual Island Summit, the Island Innovation Awards seek to identify and reward island leaders and changemakers across twelve different categories. As an official nominator for the £1 million Earthshot Prize rewarding projects enacting widespread environmental action, Island Innovation has also put forward several of the winners for consideration. 

Please find full details of the winners in the press release below. You can also view the awards ceremony here.

Island Awards Press Release

During this year’s Island Finance Forum, the finalists and winners of the inaugural Island Innovation Awards were announced in a special ceremony involving representatives from the Clinton Global Initiative, the Earthshot Prize, and members of the judging panel. Launched by President Bill Clinton at last year’s Virtual Island Summit, the Island Awards seek to identify and reward island leaders and changemakers across twelve different categories. As an official nominator for the £1 million Earthshot Prize rewarding projects enacting widespread environmental action, Island Innovation has also put forward several of the winners for consideration.

Hundreds of individuals vied for one of the twelve awards, providing judges with a deep pool of talented individuals and worthy projects to choose from. Winners of this inaugural Island Innovation Awards hail from 11 different islands around the world, and their projects have had a wide-ranging impact on their own local communities and internationally. You will find below the list of winners and their projects and full information on the winners and finalists can be found here.

“This inaugural Island Innovation Awards has been an amazing showcase of island talent from all across the world, and a huge success that we are very proud of. Congratulations to all of our excellent finalists and winners, which represent an impressive range of initiatives from around the world. We received over 330 applications and nominations, which is fantastic, especially considering that it is the first edition of the Awards. Thank you to everyone who attended the ceremony, to our awards partners, the Clinton Global Initiative, and to our esteemed panel of judges. ” – James Ellsmoor, CEO of Island Innovation

Future Island Leader

Ronelle King, for Life In Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against Gender-based Violence Location: Barbados

Island Innovator

Radhames Carela for Wine To Water Dominican Republic and its Ceramic Water Filter

Island Awards Press Release

Sustainable Energy Initiative of the Year

Scaling Smart, Solar, Energy Access Microgrids in Haiti by EarthSpark International Location: Haiti

Resilient Island

Marine Megafauna Conservation Organization’s educational programme in South East Mauritius as part of their main Project “Conservation threatened marine megafauna species in Mauritius”. Location: Mauritius

Women SDG Leadership
Gina Ebanks-Petrie, Director, Department of Environment, Cayman Islands Government Location: Cayman Islands

Sustainable Company of the Year

Island Green Living Association

Location: St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Most Transformational Government Sustainability Initiative

Food Tourism and Agritourism Initiative (FTAI) (Produktif Turism Blong Yumi Initiative), part of the Vanuatu Department of Tourism’s Sustainable Tourism Strategy
Location: Vanuatu

COVID-19 Response

Reach Within: Getting to the root of childhood trauma, simply, by Reach Within Location: Grenada

Innovative Island Research

Agricultural genebank research by Centre for Pacific Crops and Trees (CePACT) operated by the Pacific Community (SPC)’s Land Resources Division.
Location: Viti Levu, Fiji

Blue Economy Initiative

Regenerative seaweed farming and net recycling linked to improved Marine Protected Areas (iMPA) by Coast 4C
Location: 10 small island villages in the Philippines across the central and western Visayas, and expanding to a further 20 small island villages.

Island Awards Press Release

Green Finance and Investment

CARICOM Development Fund for their Credit Risk Abatement Facility (CRAF) Location: Barbados

Most Impactful Island Innovation Ambassadors

Alfredo M. Coro II, Municipal Mayor, Municipality of Del Carmen, Siargao Islands, Philippines Location: Siargao Island, Philippines

Maria Chnaraki (Hnaraki), Adjunct Professor, Drexel University Location: Crete, Greece