Peter Benchley Ocean Awards

Peter never saw himself as an ocean expert, so he surrounded himself with the best and brightest ocean minds he could track down. He knew that long-term solutions to protect our seas would only come if new thinking, new ideas, and new behaviors were fostered across a range of marine expertise.

This inspired the idea for a new kind of ocean conservation award.  Co-founded by Blue Frontier Campaign and Wendy Benchley to honor his legacy, The Peter Benchley Ocean Awards are the preeminent ocean award - unique in acknowledging outstanding achievement each year across many sectors of society leading to the protection of our coasts and oceans.

The Benchley manta logo and striking manta award statue were designed by the world renowned artist and ocean activist Wyland, exclusively to honor Peter’s ocean conservation legacy - and one of his fondest memories – a transcendent ride on the back of a beautiful manta in the Sea of Cortez.