Meet our winners

Introducing the winners of the Ocean Storytelling Writing Grant 2022.

It is with great excitement that we announce the three winners of our 2022 Ocean Storytelling Writing Grant. Congratulations to Dimuthu Attanayake, Fanni Szakal and Wenzel Pinto! These three writers showed great writing talent, and each one shows dedication to making a difference in the field of conservation. The judging panel were impressed by their individual abilities to craft engaging stories that conveyed complex conservation issues, scientific research, and still wove throughout their work a sense of wonder for the natural world.

Artwork by Jamy Silver | © Save Our Seas Foundation

The winners will each receive the following:

Each winner will receive a US$2,000 cash prize and will be given a paid writing assignment to document an SOSF-supported marine research or conservation project. They will take an all-expenses-paid trip to visit that SOSF project anywhere in the world to complete the assignment. The SOSF has funded more than 480 projects in more than 85 countries and each winning writer will be assigned to tell one of these stories.
The grantees will be mentored by Dr Helen Scales (marine biologist and bestselling author), Swati Thiyagarajan (conservation journalist at the Sea Change Project) and Dr Lauren De Vos (SOSF science writer).
All winners will be given the chance to showcase their published marine conservation story assignment.

“For us, this grant is all about finding new and emerging voices in conservation storytelling. The ability to capture peoples’ hearts first, before moving them to action, is a necessary skill to add to our conservation arsenal. I am particularly looking forward to experiencing the stories our exceptionally talented new writing grantees will craft over the coming year.”

Dr James Lea, CEO of Save our Seas Foundation

A special mention must be made of the talented writers who made it to the ten finalists: Vanessa Wright, Serag Heiba, Elyse De Franco, Christina Riley, Moisés Gallo, Madison Churchill and Tatjana Baleta. Each of these finalists is a talented writer, and we thank them for sharing their beautiful stories and passion for changing the world with us. The overall calibre of entries for this grant was incredibly high, and the competition from all 147 applicants to reach the top 10 was stiff: each of these writers deserves their place as a finalist, and we look forward to seeing their journeys continue.

Find out more about our winners below:

Dimuthu Attanayake

Artwork by Jamy Silver | © Save Our Seas Foundation

Dimuthu Attanayake

Winner

Sri Lanka

Dimuthu chose journalism as a career since it serves as one of the best short-term weapons to bring about a positive impact to the society and the environment she lives in. She believes that journalism works as a powerful tool to bring conservation issues less known by the public and the policy makers to light, as well as to advocate for change.

Click to read Dimuthu’s application entry here

Judge’s comments

Reading Dimuthu’s essay I knew right away I was in a safe pair of hands, both in terms of the quality of her writing and the scientific content. I had heard about the tragedy of the cargo vessel catching fire off the Sri Lankan coast last year, and what Dimuthu does brilliantly is explain what happened, the ongoing problems and ultimately why this is still an incredibly important story. She expertly navigates the challenging mix of human health and ecological concerns by weaving together descriptions of the clean-up efforts with scientific studies that are investigating the toxic dangers of the spilled plastic nurdles. With Dimuthu’s writing I get a strong sense of a keen pair of eyes watching the changing world, showing readers what is happening and why we all should care.

Dr Helen Scales | Marine biologist and bestselling author

Dimuthu shows incredible tenacity in pursuing conservation journalism. In a short time, she has covered a range of important topics in her portfolio, and I think that this kind of grit can, when paired with nurturing mentoring, propel someone into a fantastic career. Her determination to use her writing for change is something I empathise with and find highly motivating – a positive sign for another bright future.

Dr Lauren De Vos | Save Our Seas Foundation scientific writer

Dimuthu’s journalism skills have given her an eye for details and I feel that she could really grow with the combination of this mentorship and grant. The scope of the opportunity could be of real benefit for her to take her writing further.

Swati Thiyagarajan | Conservation journalist at the Sea Change Project

Wenzel Pinto

Artwork by Jamy Silver | © Save Our Seas Foundation

Wenzel Pinto

Winner

India

Wenzel weaves scientific studies and facts into a story format and draws from his personal experiences, in an attempt to make scientific knowledge more digestible and enjoyable for everyday readers with no previous interest in wildlife or conservation.

Click to read Wenzel’s application entry here

Judges’ comments

Wenzel has that rare and precious combination of being an expert scientist and a superb writer. Reading his essay, I was instantly transported into the ocean, by his side, watching tuna whiz by. I’ve worked with a lot of scientists to help develop their popular science writing, and what I so often see is how difficult it can be to for them to step away from their hard-earned, in-depth knowledge in order to tell engaging stories for readers who know nothing about their specialist subject. Wenzel makes this look easy. He clearly understands the importance of characters and setting, and puts them to excellent use in his essay. And he has a good sense of how much scientific information to offer his readers, and how to find that delicate balance between storytelling elements and scientific facts. I’m incredibly excited to see where Wenzel’s writing takes him next, and I can’t wait to read more of his stories.

Dr Helen Scales | Marine biologist and bestselling author

I’m really excited to see where Wenzel’s writing can go! He submitted a great written feature piece, and gave such convincing and sincere answers to the application questions. I think the combination of his heartfelt writing, with his commitment to science and conservation, makes Wenzel a promising new light.

Dr Lauren De Vos | Save Our Seas Foundation scientific writer

Wenzel I feel is an ideal candidate for this grant. He has the marine biology background, writes very well with both clarity and a skill for telling a good story. I can see that this is his passion and focus. I am excited to see how the mentorship element with the grant will enhance his writing skills

Swati Thiyagarajan | Conservation journalist at the Sea Change Project

Fanni Szakal

Fanni Szakal

Winner

Hungary

Fanni would like to highlight stories that don’t usually make it into the media. In addition to reporting on lesser-known animals and conservation issues, she is also interested in showing how the fate of nature is intertwined with ours, and bringing stories from underrepresented communities to light.

Click to read Fanni’s application entry here

Judges’ comments

I especially liked how Fanni picked the familiar ocean topic of cetaceans – we’ve all read a million stories about whales! – but she gave it a novel twist by focusing on the deepest-diving whale species and delving into the question of how scientists actually study animals that are incredibly hard to find and that pay only brief visits to the surface. Her writing also demonstrates that she thinks deeply about her subjects. One thing that I think takes Fanni’s writing to the next level is how her essay examines the value but also the limitations of scientific research for conservation. It’s critical for conservation storytellers to be realistic about how human activities are changing the ocean and not shy away from that, while giving readers space to reflect on what we can do to help support a healthy planet.

Dr Helen Scales | Marine biologist and bestselling author

I think Fanni shows a keen eye for a good story. I am so interested to see how her innate ability to pick through the various threads of an issue and hold them up to our attention develops as she crafts her story for her assignment. When someone can enunciate what we all feel, or might be dimly aware of but are unable to pinpoint in our own words, I think they have enormous potential to make an impact as a powerful conservation storyteller.

Dr Lauren De Vos | Save Our Seas Foundation scientific writer

Fanni is such a great candidate for this grant. I loved how she took something familiar like whales and focussed on the unfamiliar like deep diving whales with a great balance between facts and story.

Swati Thiyagarajan | Conservation journalist at the Sea Change Project

The Ocean Storytelling Writing Grant builds on the legacy of our previous photography grants and is dedicated to supporting a diverse generation of emerging conservation storytellers. We were searching for passionate and committed writers who can write conservation features about the ocean, even if their background has not previously been specifically marine focused.