These 10 activists want to change the world - whose eco-idea will improve mankind?

We live in a time when every brand or company is feeling the pressure to take responsibility for its carbon footprint and to spotlight its contribution towards sustainability. But this is an area where Rolex can afford to stand tall on the green podium, thanks to its nearly half-century of championing and endorsing pioneers in the field for global betterment.

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise (RAE) are an integral part of the brand’s Perpetual Planet campaign, which includes a partnership with National Geographic, as well as the support of marine biologist Dr Sylvia Earle and her Mission Blue.

Initiated to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster, the RAE dates back to 1976. The aim over the past four decades has been to highlight and assist the work of individuals who are undertaking challenges to benefit mankind through exploration, improved knowledge, pioneering science and ground-breaking environmental projects which, according to Rolex’s Head of Philanthropy Rebecca Irvin, mirror “the spirit of enterprise on which the company was founded.”

For the 2019 edition of the Awards, 10 finalists – ranging in age from 25 to 49 and hailing from nine countries – have been selected from 957 applicants by an international jury of 10 eminent experts. And this year, for the first time in the 43-year history of the Awards, Rolex is inviting everyone to take part in choosing the five overall winners via an online public vote.

Between now and June 12, the finalists’ work will be featured on the Rolex website, informing readers of the 10 initiatives and inviting them to cast a vote for the one they find most inspiring.

The finalists will then present their projects at the National Geographic Explorers Festival in Washington, D.C., after which votes from the jury, the public and Rolex will be counted, before the final five Laureates are announced on 14 June.

The winners will join a roster of 140 previous Laureates, and will each receive CHF 200,000 (£156,800) to advance their work, as well as a Rolex chronometer, publicity through online and social media channels, and access to an unrivalled network of people in similar and complementary fields. Meet the 10 finalists here:

Emma Camp (32, United Kingdom)

Marine scientist Camp aims to reverse the devastating effects of human contamination on the Great Barrier Reef by identifying resilient forms of coral and transplanting these to the worst affected areas.

João Campos-Silva (36, Brazil)

Close to extinction, the Amazon’s gargantuan arapaima, is the world’s largest freshwater fish. Working with local communities, Campos-Silva aims to reverse the fate of the fish and, in so doing, the food chain and livelihoods of those who rely on the river.

Grégoire Courtine (44, France)

Courtine is currently working on a project that intends to help paralysed people to walk again thanks to an implanted “bridge” that reconnects the brain and spine, encouraging nerve regrowth.

Pablo GarcÍa Borboroglu (49, Argentina)

Biologist Borboroglu hopes to aid the survival of penguins through programmes of conservation, management and education among local communities. To date he has secured 32 million acres of habitat for the critically endangered birds.

Brian Gitta (26, Uganda)

Affecting hundreds of millions of people each year, the traditional method of detecting malaria through blood testing can often delay life-saving treatment by weeks. Gitta is currently trialling an affordable, mobile device, which provides results immediately and without the need for blood.

Krithi Karanth (40, India)

Looking to make the co-existence between people and wildlife more harmonious, Karanth hopes to reduce attacks on people and livestock, while simultaneously raising awareness and aiding compensation claims through a dedicated helpline.

Yves Moussallam (31, France)

Volcanologist, Moussallam is planning to travel along the pacific Ring of Fire – the world’s most volcanically active region – in a traditional Polynesian sailing craft to study the effect of volcanic gases on climate change.

Sara Saeed (32, Pakistan)

Saeed is spearheading a digital network of 1,500 home-based female doctors who offer primary healthcare to isolated communities. Jointly, their work has already improved the mortality, health and welfare of pregnant women, mothers and infants.

Miranda Wang (25, Canada)

Based in California, Wang is well aware of the crisis caused by plastics in the ocean. Viewing this as an environmental priority, she is investigating ways to turn unrecyclable plastics into chemicals that can be used in the manufacture of products such as consumer electronics.

Topher White (37, United States)

By repurposing old smartphones for use in the world’s rainforests, White is helping to build a digital library of the sounds of rare animal. The real-time surveillance that the devices allow also helps to identify illegal logging.

To find out more about the finalists in the 2019 Rolex Awards for Enterprise, and to cast your vote, visit Rolex

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