Monaco's Prince Albert was honored at the Benchley Ocean Awards at the Carnegie Institution for his work in marine scientific expeditions on the ocean’s pressing challenges.
Prince Albert is the only Head of State ever to travel to both poles. He's with Wendy Benchley, an ocean conservation and policy advocate, who co-founded the awards with Blue Frontier author David Helvarg in honor of her husband, Jaws author and oceans activist Peter Benchley; they've become the Academy Awards for the ocean.
National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Sylvia Earle presented the Youth Award to Madison Pip Stewart, an ocean activist since the age of 8, when she started protecting sharks near her Australian home through a petition to get rid of shark killer nets. She's the subject of the Smithsonian documentary Shark Girl. After a reception and awards ceremony, guests enjoyed a sold-out gala dinner.
