Five Laureates Acclaimed for their Innovative Projects to Improve Humankind

Rolex today announced the winners of the 11th Rolex Awards for Enterprise (RAE). Laureates 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 to continue their innovative work preserving our natural and cultural heritage.

The prize-winners share the common goal of improving life on our planet. They are:

• American explorer Lonnie Dupre: undertaking the first summer crossing of the Arctic Ocean, on skis and by kayak, to raise awareness of global warming
• Swiss equine specialist Claudia Feh: establishing an interactive learning forum to help nomads and scientists to support the reintroduction of Przewalski horses to their native Mongolian habitat
• Georgian palaeoanthropologist David Lordkipanidze: working in his native Georgia to explore and protect the earliest known site of human activity in Eurasia
• Argentine palaeontologist Teresa Manera: preserving prehistoric animal tracks at an unparalleled site on Argentina's Atlantic coast endangered by tourism and erosion
• Japanese silk expert Kikuo Morimoto: creating a model for revitalizing rural Cambodia by reviving traditional silk fabrication

"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 2004 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," said Patrick Heiniger, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex SA and Chairman of the Awards Selection Committee.

The 2004 winners bring the total number of Laureates in the program's 28-year history to 55. Each Laureate receives $100,000 and a gold Rolex chronometer at a gala ceremony in Paris on September 29th.

The Associate Laureates

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 honored at ceremonies in their own countries.

The 2004 Associate Laureates are:

• Pisit Charnsnoh (Thailand): preventing the endangered marine mammal, the dugong, from vanishing from Thai waters, by involving coastal communities in conservation projects to restore its habitat
• Laury Cullen (Brazil): transforming farmers into conservationists to save the Atlantic forest and its fauna
• Shekar Dattatri (India): using short wildlife and conservation films to change hearts and minds and influence the public and policy-makers on environmental issues
• Dora Nipp (Canada): encouraging tolerance and diversity by creating a museum featuring oral testimonies of immigrants
• Joan Thompson (United States): rebuilding a war-ravaged field base to continue community-based conservation of a rare and endangered primate, the bonobo in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Selection Process

This year's Selection Committee, comprised of nine, independent, voluntary specialists, conducted a rigorous review of the candidates. "A recurring theme in the winning projects is the importance of conserving our natural and cultural heritage," observed Mr. Heiniger. "The jury members were united in their support of these endeavors."

Seeking New Applicants

The biennial program 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: May 31, 2005, for Asia, the Pacific and North, Central and South America; September 30, 2005, for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

For an application for the 2006 awards please visit http://www.rolexawards.com