The Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia 2024

This award goes to a supermarket with the most significant commitment to MSC-certified sustainable seafood during 2023, based on the following areas:

1. Sourcing policy and commitments

The Best Sustainable Seafood Supermarket has an up-to-date, robust, and ambitious seafood sourcing policy that prioritises MSC-certified and labelled seafood. 

1. Demonstrates a preference for MSC-labelled own-brand seafood across multiple categories (wet fish counters, chilled, frozen, ambient, pet, health, beauty, and wellbeing).Demonstrates an MSC-certified/labelled seafood requirement for third-party brands. 
2. Effectively communicates the policy on MSC-certified and labelled seafood to the public.
3. Reports on progress toward commitments laid out in the sourcing policy, e.g., sustainability reports, etc.
4. Supports small-scale and/or commercial fisheries on their pathway to MSC certification.
5. Outline how your policy contributes towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG14, “Life Below Water”.
6. May have received external awards, rankings or recognitions that acknowledge commitments and performance in seafood sustainability.

2.  Growth in MSC labelled portfolio

Offers a diverse, growing range of MSC-labelled products, including private label and proprietary brands.

1. To provide current data of MSC labelled seafood in 2023 (no points incurred for this)
   1. Total volume
   2. Total SKUs
   3. Number of species
   4. Categories
2. Provide Year on Year % growth (2022 vs 2023):  
   1. Volume of MSC-labelled seafood
   2. Volume of MSC-labelled seafood against total seafood offering
   3. Volume of MSC-labelled seafood in privately labelled products
   4. Number of MSC-labelled products
   5. Number of Species with the MSC label
   6. Categories using the MSC label
3. Has made a commitment to source MSC-certified seafood in new categories, e.g., pet food, health supplements, etc.

3. Communications & Engagement

The Best Sustainable Seafood Supermarket is celebratory, informative, and visible about its MSC-certified seafood range.

1. Internal channels: Demonstrate how the MSC’s messaging is integrated across various departments and communications platforms:
   1. Magazines/catalogue
   2. Instore activations: shelf, freezer, decals, etc.
   3. Instore radio
   4. Online shopping
   5. Website
   6. Own social/digital media platforms
2. External channels: Demonstrates how the MSC label and messaging features prominently in high impact / high reach outputs across the calendar year, e.g., above-the-line and below-the-line outdoor billboards, out-of-home advertising, PR/Media, etc.  
3. Has actively participated in MSC-led campaigns, e.g., World Ocean Day, World Tuna Day, Sustainable Seafood Week and others.
4. Has included messaging on MSC-certified fisheries in their communications activities.
5. Ensure that in-store retail staff understand the MSC via training initiatives and educational materials.
6. Examples of how spokespeople and organisation ambassadors talk with pride and knowledge about their organisation’s MSC commitment.

Applications are encouraged to include narrative, support materials, case studies, and reference materials.

This award recognises a seafood product launched in 2023, that has the MSC blue fish tick visible and correctly applied on the pack, and:

• Communicates the sustainability story behind the product and runs promotions to drive awareness;

• Demonstrates innovation within the industry e.g. first of its kind, new technology used, a new category;
• Considers other aspects of its environmental impact, such as packaging, carbon offset

This award goes to an individual in the Australian fishing industry that has shown leadership, courage and commitment towards MSC certification and sustainability in the 2023 calendar year.

Eligibility:

• An individual stakeholder supporting an Australian MSC-certified or engaged fishery.
• From a fishing industry background, regulatory, research or wider supporting role.

The award is open to any organisation who has impacted the local community in the 2023 calendar year with ocean sustainability and the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

This could include, though not limited to, events, festivals, education seafood expos, outreach, local media, competitions, or campaigns.

By entering the Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia (the Awards), you agree to be bound by these terms and conditions. The Marine Stewardship Council and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (the Organisers) are the joint organisers of the Awards.

1. The Awards are open to partners of the Organisers who are registered and based in Australia as well as individuals who are based in Australia and who have made a significant contribution to the vision and mission of the Organisers. Each category will state if it is for an organisation or an individual. 

2. The criteria for each award category is listed with its description on the awards web page at https://www.msc.org/en-au/what-we-are-doing/the-sustainable-seafood-awards-australia for the MSC and at https://au.asc-aqua.org/campaigns/the-sustainable-seafood-awards-australia-2024/ for the ASC.

3. Your entry must be factually correct. Upon reviewing your application, the Organisers will fact-check against its own records. Only factually correct applications will be submitted to the judging panel for judging. 

4. To enter the Awards, you must complete the entry form and submit it by post to The Marine Stewardship Council, PO Box 61, Caringbah, 1495 NSW, or email to [email protected] before the closing date and time. Late entries will be accepted at the discretion of the Organisers.

5. You may apply to enter more than one category, but you must submit a separate form for each category.

6. Your entry must relate to a relevant activity that took place during the 2023 calendar year. Supporting evidence should be supplied.

7. You agree that your application and supporting evidence can be shared with the relevant judges.

8. Entry submissions open on Tuesday, 2 January 2024, and close on Friday, 26 January 2024, at 6 pm (AEDT) for MSC awards. The winners will be announced and listed on the MSC website and can start communicating their award win from 12:01 am (AEDT) on Monday, 18 March 2024.

9. There is no entry cost for the Awards.

10. Each entry must have a single contact person to communicate with the Organisers. 

11. You agree to provide supporting evidence including but not limited to imagery, video, weblinks, and data in the format requested by the Organisers.

12. You agree to the Organisers using any or all of your application and supporting evidence for internal purposes without prior consent. The Organisers will work with winners to communicate their award(s) and reserve the right to freely mention award winners in any and all correspondence.

13. Some award categories will be judged. Awards judges cannot be entered in the category they are judging.

14. If any awards judge has a conflict of interest regarding an entry, that judge will not judge that entry and may be removed from judging the category in which that entry is entered. The Organisers will decide whether there is a conflict of interest and welcome any information you might have to support this decision. Once the decision has been made, it will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.

15. Judges will judge based on a scorecard. There will be a pass/fail mark, and so entries achieving over the pass mark will then be eligible to win. Each category will have at least two judges assessing the entries. Scores will then be averaged per entry. The entry with the highest average score will win. Where relevant, runner-up positions will be based on the next highest scores. In the event of a tie, the Organisers will take a deciding vote. The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.

16. If evidence emerges at any time that shows misconduct, such as (but not limited to) influencing the judges or falsifying evidence, then the Organisers reserve the right to remove an application or award at any time.

17. The Organisers reserve the right to change the dates or cancel the Awards or to amend these terms and conditions without prior notice.

18. You (individual or organisation) must not be under investigation by any Australian or international statutory body during the application process.

19. If there are zero applications for a category, or if the only applications entered do not meet the criteria, there will be no award for that category. The Organisers will use their discretion, and any decision is final with no correspondence entered into. The Organisers will do their best to encourage entries.

20. The Organisers accept no responsibility for failed delivery of an application. You are welcome to check that we have received it by emailing [email protected].

21. These terms and conditions are governed by and will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia. The Courts of the Commonwealth of Australia will have exclusive jurisdiction.

22. Privacy: The Organisers may collect personal information from you (such as your name, home/business address, and email) for the purpose of facilitating your participation in the Awards. It may be provided to the Organisers partnered delivery agents to assist with the public communications of the Awards. If you wish to opt out of this, please indicate the personal information you would like to withhold within your application. 

23. Data controller: The Marine Stewardship Council is the data controller and will store and process your data in line with its privacy policy on behalf of the Organisers.

Last updated: 19 October 2023

2024

Coles was named the MSC's Best Sustainable Seafood Supermarket, and the ASC awarded ALDI the Best Responsible Seafood Retailer title. MSC’s Best Sustainable Seafood Product - Shelf went to John West Salmon Bowls.  I&J was named ASC’s Best Responsible Seafood Brand, and Birds’ Eye Frozen Steam Fresh Fillets took the ASC’s Best Responsible Seafood Product award home.

2023

ALDI, Simplot, Austral Fisheries, Goolwa PipiCo, and Mars Petcare are amongst the winners named in the seventh Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia, run by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).

Read the full list of the 2023 award winners

2022

Coles, ALDI, Tassal, Simplot, Tuna Australia and Mars Petcare are amongst the 18 winners named across 13 categories in the sixth Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia, run by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).

2021

Austral Fisheries Glacier 51 Toothfish has taken out the title of Best Sustainable Seafood Product for the second year running, this time shared with the newly Marine Stewardship Council certified Fremantle Octopus range. Meanwhile, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council certified Australian Clean Seas kingfish scooped the accolade for Best Responsible Seafood Product.

Read the full list of the 2021 award winners

2020

Coles, ALDI, Woolworths, Taronga Zoo and Austral Fisheries were amongst those named in the Marine Stewardship Council’s 2020 Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia.

Read the full list of the 2020 award winners

2019

Coles, John West, IKEA and Taronga Zoo are celebrated in the national awards.

Read the full list of the 2019 award winners

2018

There were no awards this year.

2017

Simplot, Sealord, Taronga Zoo, Coles and Mandurah Crabfest all take home awards.

Read the full list of the 2017 award winners