Friday, October 30, 2026 at 11:30am
at The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts
The Annual Go Blue Awards recognizes individuals, youth, businesses and nonprofit organizations who are making extraordinary contributions in ocean conservation and are on the leading edge of going "Blue!"
Schedule of Events
11:30 am: Registration Opens
11:50 am : Ballroom Doors Open
12:00 pm – 1:30pm Go Blue Award Luncheon and Awards Presentation
Purchase
Tickets
Tickets go on sale June 1, 2026.
Become A
Sponsor
Sponsors receive many benefits including access to the private VIP Reception, preferred seating, and extensive visibility among the LMC community and beyond.
Make A
Nomination
Use the form on this page to make nominations For The Seventeenth Annual Go Blue Awards.
Nominations close on August 14, 2026.
2026 Special Guest Speaker:
Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza
Marine biologist, explorer, and globally recognized leader in shark conservation
2026 Eleanor Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Dr. Mikki McComb-Kobza is a marine biologist, explorer, and globally recognized leader in shark conservation. As CEO and Chief Scientist of Ocean First Institute, she leads innovative research, education, and conservation initiatives that have reached over 1.5 million people worldwide and are advancing the protection of our ocean’s most vulnerable species.
Over the course of her career, Dr. McComb-Kobza has helped shape the field of shark research and conservation through a unique integration of science, exploration, and public engagement. Her work focuses on the biology, health, movement, and conservation of sharks, using cutting-edge technologies—including satellite tagging, BRUV systems, and emerging molecular tools—to better understand and protect these keystone predators. She has led and participated in more than 50 expeditions across the globe—from Cocos Island to South Africa, and throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans—bringing together science, exploration, and storytelling to inspire action and shift public perception.
Dr. McComb-Kobza’s research and conservation work have been featured by BBC, National
Geographic, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, NPR, and CBC. In 2025, she delivered a TEDx Boulder talk, From Fear to Fascination: The Truth About Sharks, highlighting how transforming fear into understanding is key to ocean conservation.
She serves as adjunct faculty in Ecology and Evolutionary 
Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, is the immediate past President of the American Elasmobranch Society, a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, and a National Fellow of The Explorers Club.
Dr. McComb-Kobza holds a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from Florida Atlantic University and is the author of numerous scientific publications. She lives in Colorado with her husband, wildlife biologist Mac Kobza, their son Nick, and their Labrador retriever, Cooper.
Award Categories
01.
Eleanor Fletcher Lifetime Achievement Award
Named for the founder of LMC, this award recognizes an individual who has exemplified a lifelong, extraordinary commitment to marine conservation education through their work or volunteer activities.
02.
Blue Ambassador of the Year
The Blue Ambassador of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions in marine conservation through volunteer or work-related activities.
03.
Blue Hatchling Youth Award
The Blue Hatchling Youth Award recognizes an individual under age 17 who has made significant contributions in marine conservation through volunteer-related activities.
04.
Blue Business of the Year Award / Nonprofit of the Year Award
This award recognizes a business or nonprofit that has
made outstanding contributions toward promoting and encouraging conservation, restoration, or preservation of marine life and/or marine ecosystems through their business practices, products, or technology.
About The Go Blue Awards
The Go Blue Awards program was created to recognize individuals and businesses that directly or indirectly support LMC’s mission to promote conservation of ocean ecosystems with a special focus on threatened and endangered sea turtles. Previous Go Blue Award recipients include Dr. Guy Harvey, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation; Dr. Sylvia Earle, Mission Blue; Hardy Jones - Executive Director, Bluevoice.org; Nathaniel Reed, Everglades Foundation; Dr. Edith Widder, Ocean Research & Conservation Association; Florida Power & Light Company; Gary Adkison, U.S. Shark Foundation; International Game Fish Association; and Coral Restoration Foundation.
Please note, there are no refunds or exchanges for purchased tickets. All sales are final.
2025 Judges
Go Blue Awards Nominations are open to the public and are judged by an independent panel of judges.
The esteemed panel of judges that will select this year’s finalists and winners includes:
Lad Akins - Curator of Marine Conservation, Frost Science
Dr. Greg Marshall - Filmmaker & Inventor of Crittercam, National Geographic
Roderic Mast - Co-CEO and President, Oceanic Society
Susan Murray - Granddaughter of Eleanor Fletcher & Oceana Pacific Deputy Vice President
Joel Sartore - Photo Ark Founder, National Geographic Photographer & Contributor
Jim Toomey - Creator of Sherman's Lagoon comic strip,filmmaker, and conservationist
2026 Sponsors
Sponsor Reception Sponsor:
Atlantic Ocean Sponsors:
Lynne & Pete Wells
Pacific Ocean Sponsor:
Arctic Ocean Sponsors:
Caribbean Sea Sponsors:
