Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration

MTS AWARD

Captain Don Walsh Award for Ocean Exploration

This award honors individuals whose work is actively advancing the field and reflects the spirit of exploration, innovation, and leadership exemplified by Captain Don Walsh.

Award Overview

Award Description

This award is conferred collaboratively by MTS and the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) to recognize exceptional and ongoing international contributions to the development, application, and dissemination of marine technology in support of ocean exploration.

Eligibility

Open to individuals from any country or territory. Recognizes ingoing contributions (not a lifetime achievement award). MTS membership is not required. Self-nominations are accepted.

Recipients Receive

Recipients are honored with a framed photograph of Captain Don Walsh, a commemorative Challenge Coin, and lifetime membership to MTS in recognition of their outstanding contributions.

Why It Matters

This award recognizes exceptional leadership and innovation that advance ocean exploration through marine technology while honoring sustained international contributions to the field.

Nominations

Only one completed nomination form is accepted per candidate. Nominations are competitive and reviewed by the Committee.

Review Process

All nominations are reviewed by the MTS Awards Committee and evaluated based on the nominee's impact, leadership, and sustained contributions to the field.

Nomination Requirements

Before submitting a nomination, review the guidelines below to ensure your application is complete.

Nomination Guidelines

Only one completed nomination form will be accepted per candidate.
If a nomination has already been submitted for your candidate, you will be notified.
Only the information requested in the nomination form will be reviewed.
Completed nomination packets are due by May 31.

Required Information

To submit a complete nomination, you will be asked to provide:

Your contact information (Name, Organization, Email, Phone Number)
The nominee’s contact information (Organization name, primary contact, organization type)
Nominee Curriculum Vitae (CV)
A Statement of Nomination outlining the nominee’s qualifications.

Statement of Nomination Criteria

Provide a written statement reflecting the nominee’s contributions to the development, application, and propagation of marine technology toward the advancement of ocean exploration.

Maximum length: 4,000 characters or fewer (including spaces)
Statement should clearly articulate impact, innovation, and ongoing contributions

Optional Supporting Materials

Optional upload of additional supporting documentation, such as:

Letters of support
Supplemental information about the nominee’s work

2026 Award Recipient: Dr. Jyotika Virmani

Dr. Jyotika Virmani has spent her career pushing the boundaries of how we explore and understand our Ocean. She is the Executive Director of the Schmidt Ocean Institute, a philanthropic organization accelerating research by providing global scientists free access to the state-of-the-art research vessel Falkor (too) and cutting-edge marine technology in exchange for open-source sharing of Ocean data.

Before this, Jyotika was Executive Director of Planet & Environment at XPRIZE overseeing global competitions that inspired breakthrough technologies in marine sensors, seafloor mapping, and biodiversity. She sits on the MBARI Board of Directors and is a Plymouth Marine Laboratory Trustee. She also Co-Chairs the UN Ocean Decade Technology & Innovation Working Group and serves on the National Academies Ocean Studies Board and the National Geographic Society’s Committee for Research & Exploration. She is a Fellow of The Royal Meteorological Society, The Explorers Club, and the Marine Technology Society. Marine Technology Reporter Top 100 List ranked her amongst their top 5 Global Ocean Influencers in their Top 100 List in 2020, featuring her again on the list in 2023. In 2024, Forbes recognized her in their 50-over-50 list.

She has a Ph.D. in Physical Oceanography from the College of Marine Science, University of South Florida and, as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar, she earned a M.S. in Atmospheric Science from SUNY at Stony Brook. She also has a B.Sc. in Physics from Imperial College London and is an Associate of the Royal College of Science.