A Malaysian marine biology graduate is among the finalists for this year's Commonwealth Youth Awards.

Mogesh Sababathy, 23, is among 20 extraordinary young individuals from 18 countries who have been shortlisted, for his project focused on sustainable development goal (SDG) of "Life Below Water".

"He co-founded the 'Project Ocean Hope', a youth-led group that aims to raise the visibility of ocean issues and environmental conservation through campaigns and youth leadership training.

"The group has also run educational community projects to reduce littering and unsustainable fishing practices, and an ocen literacy webinar series on waste management, reaching over 10,000 individuals across 15 countries," the Commonwealth said in a statement, according to Bernama.

The awards recognise young people from Commonwealth countries whose projects are transforming lives in their communities and helping to achieve the SDGs. Last year, more than 1,000 entries from 43 Commonwealth countries were received.

This year, the awards include five regional categories: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Canada, and the Pacific.

All 20 finalists will each receive a trophy, certificate and £1,000 (RM5,521) to expand the impact of their projects, and the top finalist for each region will be picked as the regional winner, and receive £3,000 (RM15,563). The Pan-Commonwealth winner, meanwhile, will take home a total of £5,000 (RM27,605).

The winners will be feted through a virtual ceremony on March 10, and one will be picked as the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2021.

The judging panel will include high commissioner, development experts and youth leaders from Commonwealth countries.

Here's wishing all the best to Mogesh to succeed in his campaign to raise awareness on ocean-related issues and to ace the Commonwealth Youth Awards.


Source: Bernama
Photo source: Free Malaysia Today, Mogesh Sababathy Twitter