News The Rolex watch company is calling for entries from around the world for the 2006 Rolex Awards - the 30th anniversary of this international, biennial initiative.
Enterprising individuals of any age, nationality or background are invited to apply to the 12th cycle of this philanthropic programme that was created in 1976 to support groundbreaking projects in science and medicine; technology and innovation; exploration and discovery; the environment and cultural heritage.
Five winners - the laureates - will be honoured at a ceremony in Singapore in October 2006. They will each receive US$100,000, a specially inscribed gold Rolex chronometer and international publicity for projects that meet the programme’s criteria: originality, feasibility and potential impact. All projects must improve the human condition and, above all, demonstrate the candidates’ unfailing spirit of enterprise. Rather than rewarding past achievements, the Awards assist those embarking on new ventures or completing ongoing projects.
Although the deadline for submission is a year away, applicants are urged to submit their entries as early as possible. "The 12-month application period, which we initiated for the 2004 Awards, has proved extremely successful," said Rebecca Irvin, head of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise. "By extending the deadlines, we have facilitated the application process, while helping to achieve a substantial increase in the number of applications - 1,703 entries from 116 countries for the 11th series of the Rolex Awards in 2004. This represents a 24% increase over the previous series."
Deadlines for applications are as follows: May 31, 2005 for Asia, the Pacific and North, Central and South America; September 30, 2005 for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Prospective entrants can complete the official application form available on the Rolex Awards website (www.rolexawards.com) and submit their project on-line, or download the form and, once completed, post it to the Rolex Awards Secretariat. Further information and application forms can also be obtained by writing to the Secretariat at the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, PO Box 1311, 1211 Geneva 26.
Following review by the Rolex Secretariat, short-listed projects will be submitted to an independent jury, which will meet early in 2006.
The winners of the 2004 Rolex Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on September 29 this year.
July 01, 2004