All SA's CLiP STOMP Awards winners

Winner of the Technical and Technology Design category was The Mermaid Tear Catcher, submitted by Clare Swithenbank-Bowman from the KwaZulu-Natal, North Coast. Pictured with her are the British Consul General Ben Boddy and Green Corridors’ Sifiso Mngoma. Photo by Courtenay Webster.

The winning entries were as follows:

• The Technology or Technical Design Award went to The Mermaid Tear Catcher, submitted by Clare Swithenbank-Bowman from the KwaZulu-Natal, North Coast A recycled plastic “frisbee” that essentially is used to sieve out nurdles and other small plastics from the sand and facilitates people getting involved in citizen science projects. The judges said that the entry was a “fun, creative community solution to removing plastic waste that could be easily replicated anywhere in the world”.
  
• The Product Award went to Patch Bamboo Plasters submitted by Dr Milliea Anis. Judges said that it was “a unique, practical and tested product that has been courageously trialed in South Africa, and importantly replaces plastic products that most overlook without thinking twice”.
  
• Luke Rudman’s The 12 Plastic Monsters, a performance art work that uses plastic waste to convey the horror of plastic pollution, won the Adult Inspire through Creativity category. Judges said that they loved the entry as it was brilliantly creative and driven by a passion for the oceans, citing it as inspiring and unique.
  
• The Youth Inspire through Creativity category was won by The Oceano Reddentes NPC submitted by twelve-year-old Jade Bothma from the Western Cape, who started the non-profit that is “Saving the sea one piece of plastic at a time” through education, awareness, and research.
  
• The Special Recognition Award for Action went to Singakwenza, submitted by Julie Hay from KwaZulu-Natal. Singakwenza, which means ‘we can do it’ in isiZulu, provides low-cost, high-impact health and early education through empowerment programmes to economically disadvantaged communities, particularly in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal. Much of what they do involves recycling of plastic waste. This entry impressed the judges in terms of showing tangible impacts on both waste and social upliftment.

"Most of these finalists and some other entrants that very much impressed the judges attended our CLIP Conference and were able to present their projects to delegates working and researching in the marine pollution sector,” said Kyle Briggs, contest lead from the UK's Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) which leads the CLIP Programme.

The Special Recognition Award for Action went to Singakwenza, submitted by Julie Hay from KwaZulu-Natal. Pictured with her are the British Consul General Ben Boddy and Green Corridors’ Sifiso Mngoma. Photo by Courtenay Webster.

“It was a really exciting two days of knowledge-sharing and looking at practical solutions to the marine pollution problem which we hope will help contestants develop their ideas further. These creative ideas from the STOMP Awards form part of CLIP’s efforts in finding creative solutions to plastic waste. It sends a clear message that plastic pollution is not only confined to scientists or policy-makers, and that anyone can innovate. Together people from all walks of life can find tangible solutions that have real impact. Congratulations to all the winners, finalists and everyone who entered with a commitment to find solutions to the plastic pollution challenge!”