The first-ever MPA (Marine Protected Areas) Day campaign held in 2021 was celebrated at the 2022 PRISM Awards held on Friday, 15 July where it took home five awards, including one gold. This is a well-deserved honour for Flow Communications (winner of the coveted Large Agency of the Year Award) and Olivia Jones Communications, the two communication companies behind the campaign, as well as for the whole MPA Day team, who together are highlighting the importance of these global ‘game reserves of the sea’.

Dr Judy Mann, Executive of Strategic Projects at The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, commented: “Winning these awards is simply amazing. It is a recognition of the incredible work done by our whole team, and especially our media partners. MPA Day was a big dream that became a reality because of passion and perseverance. It shows that even if you are a tiny team with no budget, if you dream big, are brave and take action – you can make a difference. We are very grateful to Flow Communications and Olivia Jones Communications for their commitment to MPA Day. Their pro bono support was vital for our success.”

Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day PRISM Awards 2022:

Gold Award - Environmental campaignSilver Award - Best use of an event to build/change reputation (event managementSilver Award - NGO/NPC campaignSilver Award - PR on a shoestringBronze Award - South African campaign of the year

Flow Managing Director, Tiffany Turkington-Palmer, said: “Flow is privileged to work with a wide variety of clients in partnerships that, quite literally, change lives. Winning awards for some of this work is heart-warming recognition of the calibre of our dedicated and passionate staff. Being honoured in the category South African Campaign of the Year (bronze) for Marine Protected Areas Day (MPA Day) was especially heart-warming for Flow, because the campaign promoted South Africa’s glorious marine heritage. What’s more, it reverberated across the world, with other countries joining in.”

Olivia Symcox, owner of Olivia Jones Communications, said it was wonderful that such a worthwhile event was getting the recognition it deserved: “As a company with a passion for ocean conservation, we’re thrilled that the inaugural MPA Day campaign was so well-received and that it facilitated the global expansion of MPA Day in 2022. These awards simply highlight the incredible work being done by the MPA Day team and we’re excited to be spreading their message even further with this year’s campaign.”

The PRISM Awards are run by the Public Relations Institute of South Africa (Prisa) with 67 industry experts judging various categories. The recipients of the PRISM awards have managed to combine strategy with creativity and professionalism to achieve the best communications and business objectives in their public relations campaigns.

How can you celebrate MPA Day?

The second Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Day is set to go global with its 2022 commemoration on Monday, 1 August. There are a range of celebrations taking place in and around MPA Day 2022. These include:

The MPA Day Webinar includes a panel of four speakers who will talk for 10 minutes each with time for questions. The webinar will start at 7pm. Register for the webinar at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_UTAiAZAUTUyuSNU4bkCqLAA Twitter chat on MPA Day @MPAsSA1 at 6pm using the hashtags #MPADay #LetsTalkMPAs #MPA #MarineProtectedArea.Passionate scientists and conservationists will hold celebrations on the shores of several of South Africa’s MPAs in the weekend leading up to MPA Day, 30 to 31 July. If you are lucky to live close to an MPA why not join them. Contact  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.There will be a BIOBLITZ on the weekend 30 to 31 July with iNaturalist.The 2022 MPA Photo Competition to highlight the 41 South African Marine Protected Areas. More information is available  MPA+Day+Photo+Competition+2022+final.pdf (squarespace.com)

Find all the details of these and other activities MPA day — Marine Protected Areas South Africa

To find out more or join the discussions, check out the social media pages: Instagram @marineprotectedareassa, Twitter @MPAsSA1 or Facebook Marine Protected Areas SA (@MPASouthAfrica). 

For more information about MPAs, visit https://www.marineprotectedareas.org.za/. Hashtags #MPADay #LetsTalkMPAs #MPAs #MarineProtectedArea

The MPA Alliance partners contributing to MPA Day 2022 are: Flow Communications, Olivia Jones Communications, Two Oceans Aquarium, SAAMBR, WILDTRUST, WWF South Africa & Youth4MPAs.