News On 29 September 2004, Rolex has announced the winners of its 11th Awards for Enterprise.
Two women and three men from Argentina, Georgia, Japan, Switzerland and the United States have won the coveted international prize that the Swiss watchmaker bestows on five outstanding individuals every two years.
Each Laureate has 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 - have been 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. This year's Laureates are: 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 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."
In addition to the prizes awarded to the 2004 Laureates, five Associate Laureates will each receive $35,000 and a steel-and-gold Rolex chronometer. These runners-up will be honoured at ceremonies in their own countries or regions in the months ahead.
The 2004 Associate Laureates are 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.
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 Patrick Heiniger. "The jury members were united in their support of these endeavours."
Joining Patrick Heiniger on the 2004 Selection Committee were Prof. Yves Coppens, French palaeoanthropologist and prehistorian; Kathryn Fuller, American lawyer and president and chief executive officer of World Wildlife Fund (USA); Dr Guillermo Jaim-Etcheverry, neurobiologist and educator from Argentina; Krov Menuhin, underwater explorer and film-maker, a dual Australian/US national; Dr Mamoru Mohri, Japanese astronaut and director of Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation; Sir Christopher Ondaatje, explorer and philanthropist from the United Kingdom; Dr Cristina Rapisarda Sassoon, Italian lawyer and journalist; Dr Kanwaljit Soin, orthopaedic and hand surgeon from Singapore; Prof. Chris Tan, biochemist and cell biologist, also from Singapore.
In June this year, Rolex invited people from around the world to apply to the 2006 Rolex Awards. The biennial programme provides financial support and global recognition to visionary and committed individuals whose ongoing working projects are original and feasible, and have a positive impact on the surrounding community and beyond. The regional deadlines for entries for the 12th Rolex Awards are: 31 May, 2005, for Asia, the Pacific and North, Central and South America; 30 September, 2005, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
October 06, 2004
