THE PRIZE GIVERS
The awards are given to projects that either focus on the environment; science and health; applied technology; cultural heritage; and exploration. Projects will be judged on their originality and the impact they could have on the wider world, as well as the candidates’ entrepreneurial spirit.
Five winners are selected every two years. Each of them receives funding to implement their project and becomes a member of the Rolex Laureates network, with which many still work today.
The 2023 honorees were selected by a panel of ten world-renowned experts and leaders in their fields. From providing clean water in Kenya to protecting the mountain forests of the Andes, the 2023 honorees and their respective projects underscore the brand’s commitment to an eternal planet.
CONSTANTINE AUCCA DAMN IT
The biologist will expand his community-focused program to restore and protect forest ecosystems in the high Andes. He founded the Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN) in 2000 and co-founded Accion Andina in 2018. He has planted 4.5 million trees, engaged more than 60 local communities, and created 16 protected areas in mountains throughout Peru and other high Andean countries.
BETH anyway
The young Kenyan social entrepreneur will provide solar-powered generators to harvest water from the air to 3,000 people in 10 communities in need of clean water resources. Since co-founding her start-up in 2017, Koigi’s atmospheric water generators produce over 200,000 liters of clean water per month for over 1,900 people. The potential impact of this innovative technology is enormous; In Koigi’s native Kenya, half of the population has no access to clean drinking water, while half the world’s population could live in areas with high water scarcity by 2030, according to the United Nations.
INZA KONI
The primatologist will protect a highly biodiverse forest in Ivory Coast, while protecting its endangered fauna and reducing poverty in the region. After years of working with the people of the area, Koné’s efforts resulted in the Tanoe-Ehy Forest becoming a community-managed nature reserve in 2021. The Rolex Award will enable Koné to continue to preserve its exceptional biodiversity, support community management and promote sustainable livelihoods for the people of the region.
DENICA RIADINI-FLESCH
The social entrepreneur will expand her regenerative farm-to-wardrobe clothing supply chain, increase women’s empowerment and preserve local Indonesian cultures. After a successful academic career as an economist, Riadini-Flesch founded SukkhaCitta and worked with rural women artisans in Indonesia, providing them with business skills, environmental training and clients in 32 countries.
LIU SHAOCHUANG
The remote sensing specialist will study wild camel habitats to create two new protected areas and save the last remaining wild herds. Drawing on his scientific expertise that played a key role in the development of China’s lunar and Mars rovers, Liu Shaochuang will track wild camels in the Gobi desert regions of China and Mongolia via satellite to support their future conservation.
