Rolex Announces Five Laureates For 2026 Rolex Awards

In a year resplendent with symbolism and substance, Rolex marks the 50th anniversary of its pioneering Awards programme by announcing five extraordinary women as the 2026 Laureates. Hailing from Indonesia, Nigeria, Peru, China and the United States, they embody a truly global sisterhood of science, conservation and courageous action. If ever there were proof that horology could harmonise with humanity, this is it.

The year is doubly significant, as it commemorates not merely half a century of the Awards, founded in 1976 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Oyster, the world’s first waterproof wristwatch, but also the centenary of that very Oyster. Time, it would seem, has come full circle.

Fifty Years of Tangible Change

Since its inception, the Rolex Awards have supported 165 Laureates across more than 67 countries. The cumulative impact is not a matter of abstract virtue but measurable transformation. More than 50 million trees have been planted. A remarkable 137 endangered species and 32 major ecosystems have been protected, including 57,600 square kilometres of the Amazon rainforest. Hundreds of new species have been discovered. Twenty five arduous expeditions have been completed. Fifty innovative technologies have been developed. Millions of lives have been improved.

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Binbin Li: Protecting China’s Pandas

In the bamboo forests of central China, fewer than 2,000 giant pandas remain in the wild. Environmental scientist Binbin Li is confronting a delicate dilemma: pandas share their mountainous habitat with free ranging livestock. Rather than pit economy against ecology, Li is crafting sustainable grazing systems that protect both livelihoods and habitat. The Rolex Award will enable her to scale these solutions across multiple mountain ranges, ensuring that conservation does not come at the cost of community wellbeing but rather flourishes because of it.

Farwiza Farhan: Defending Sumatra’s Leuser Ecosystem

The Leuser Ecosystem in Sumatra is the last place on earth where elephants, tigers, orangutans and rhinoceros coexist in the wild. Yet deforestation and development loom ominously. Forest conservationist Farwiza Farhan has mobilised grassroots communities and led campaigns to defend this irreplaceable landscape. Her Award will strengthen women led monitoring networks and empower local voices in environmental decision making. In a world often governed from distant boardrooms, Farhan reminds us that stewardship begins at home.

Pardis Sabeti: Preventing Epidemics Before They Spread

Medical geneticist Pardis Sabeti has long stood at the frontline of virus outbreaks in West Africa. Applying pioneering technologies and sophisticated algorithms, she enhances early detection and containment strategies for infectious diseases. With the support of the Rolex Award, she will develop and test a portable diagnostic tool in remote communities in Sierra Leone. Its promise is profound: to detect viral outbreaks before they proliferate, potentially saving millions of lives.

Rachel Ikemeh: Community Conservation in Nigeria

In Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta, biodiversity often battles industrial reality. Rachel Ikemeh has brought the Niger Delta red colobus monkey back from the brink of extinction through community led conservation. Her efforts have safeguarded over 5,839 hectares of forest, protected at least 13 threatened species and improved the livelihoods of more than 2,500 people. Her next chapter includes establishing a training hub and mobile education programme, extending her model across neighbouring communities. Conservation, in her hands, becomes contagious in the best possible way.

Rosa Vásquez Espinoza: Saving Bees to Protect the Amazon

Chemical biologist Rosa Vásquez Espinoza was the first to scientifically link Amazonian deforestation to the decline of stingless bees, essential pollinators of endemic plants and guardians of food security. Her research informed a landmark legal case in Peru that secured protection for these bees. The Award will allow her to expand an indigenous led corridor of protected habitats throughout the northern Amazon, weaving science, law and local wisdom into a resilient ecological tapestry.

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A Perpetual Commitment

Through the Perpetual Planet Initiative, Rolex now partners with more than 30 organisations and 165 Laureates, focusing on Oceans, Landscapes, and Science, Health and Technology. From supporting Mission Blue and Coral Gardeners to standing alongside luminaries such as Sylvia Earle, Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen, the brand’s trajectory has evolved from celebrating exploration to safeguarding existence itself. In honouring these five Laureates, Rolex does more than award distinction. It affirms a philosophy: that time, when stewarded wisely, becomes legacy. And in the hands of these remarkable women, the future appears not merely possible, but promising.