The Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia 2026

Self-nominated, this award is one of the most prestigious honours in our program — recognising the retailers who set the gold standard for ocean stewardship. This award celebrates supermarkets that not only make sustainable seafood widely accessible but also inspire millions of shoppers to join the movement for healthy oceans.  

It acknowledges vision, leadership and commitment at scale, where sourcing choices ripple through entire supply chains and consumer markets. By championing certified sustainable seafood, this supermarket is driving transformation across the industry and advancing the global vision of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. 

For more information, contact [email protected]

Self-nominated, this award recognises an MSC-labelled product launched in the 2025 calendar year. It celebrates innovation that turns ambition into action, transforming oceans into hope-filled futures, while bringing truly sustainable choices to every table. 

In your submission, showcase how your product, brand and/or organisation demonstrates: 

1. Impact – lasting contributions to the sustainable seafood movement, including broader environmental considerations such as packaging and carbon footprint. 

2. Communications – clear and compelling storytelling that builds consumer awareness of sustainability, while adhering to ACCC guidelines on environmental claims. 

3. Leadership – industry innovation and bravery, whether through a first-of-its-kind launch, new technology, or creation of a new category. 

4. Collaboration – partnerships and collective action that harness shared purpose to protect the oceans for generations to come. 

5. Momentum – a visible commitment to innovation and future-focused leadership in sustainable seafood. 

Self-nominated and decided via public vote, this award honours a brand that leads with courage, creativity and commitment in advancing the global sustainable seafood movement.  

Recognising brands that inspire trust, empower consumers to make ocean-positive choices, and transform markets, this award celebrates leadership that directly contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water — safeguarding our oceans for future generations. 

In your submission, showcase how your brand demonstrates: 

1. Impact – measurable actions that drive lasting change across the seafood supply chain, while empowering consumers to choose sustainably. 

2. Communications – creative campaigns that bring the sustainability story to life, raising awareness and building consumer trust, while meeting ACCC guidelines on environmental claims. 

3. Leadership – trailblazing initiatives that set new benchmarks for the industry, whether through pioneering programs, breakthrough practices or catalysing new markets. 

4. Collaboration – strong partnerships with retailers, fishers, NGOs, communities or other stakeholders that amplify results and advance shared goals. 

5. Momentum – a visible commitment to continual improvement, innovation and future-focused leadership in sustainable seafood. 

 

Self-nominated or nominated by others, this award honours the people, organisations and institutions whose passion and dedication to sustainable fishing and seafood ripple far beyond their own work.  

These champions inspire communities, empower consumers, and demonstrate that when we come together, we can protect our shared oceans. By raising awareness and driving change on the ground, they embody the spirit of collaboration and help advance the vision of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. 

Eligible initiatives could include — though are not limited to — community events, festivals, education programs, seafood expos, outreach activities, local media engagement, competitions, or campaigns. 

In your submission, showcase how you or the organisation you’re nominating, demonstrates: 

1. Impact – tangible outcomes that advance ocean sustainability within your community or networks, leaving a legacy. 

2. Communications – clear, engaging and inspiring messages that help people understand the importance of sustainable seafood and the MSC mission. 

3. Leadership – courage and initiative in driving grassroots change, showing others what is possible when communities act. 

4. Collaboration – partnerships with schools, local groups, businesses or NGOs that amplify results and strengthen collective action. 

5. Momentum – evidence of ongoing commitment and continued growth in your community’s involvement in the sustainable seafood movement. 

Self-nominated or nominated by others, this award shines a light on an individual from Australia’s fishing community whose dedication and leadership help safeguard the future of our oceans.  

Whether a skipper, deckhand, diver or crew member, these heroes demonstrate courage, commitment and innovation in advancing sustainable fishing — showing that lasting change is built through everyday actions at sea.  

Their work embodies the MSC mission and contributes directly to UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. 

Eligibility: 

- An individual from an MSC-certified fishery in Australia (e.g., deckhand, diver, skipper, crew member). 

- Has played a key role in supporting their fishery’s sustainability operations and commitments. 

- Examples include: 

    - Developing or implementing innovative practices to meet fishery conditions. 

    - Driving improvements in the pre-certification stage. 

    - Leading new efforts that advance sustainability outcomes. 

    - Demonstrating visible passion and commitment to protecting healthy oceans. 

In your submission, highlight how the nominee demonstrates: 

1. Leadership – taking initiative and inspiring others within the fishery and beyond. 

2. Commitment – a clear dedication to MSC principles and sustainable practices. 

3. Innovation – introducing or championing new methods that strengthen sustainability outcomes. 

4. Impact – tangible results that help secure the long-term health of the ocean and fishery. 

 

Nominated by others, this award is a celebration of a life devoted to sustainable fishing. It honours an extraordinary individual whose vision, courage and unwavering commitment have shaped the future of sustainable seafood.  

These are the pioneers and pathfinders who inspire us all — people whose legacy is felt not just in policies or practices, but in healthier oceans, stronger communities, and the generations they have inspired to follow in their footsteps. Their journey embodies the very heart of the MSC mission and advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. 

Eligibility: 
 
- An individual with a long-standing career in sustainable fishing, seafood, or related fields. 

- Demonstrated significant contributions to advancing MSC certification, fisheries improvements, or industry-wide sustainability practices. 

- Recognised as an inspirational figure whose influence extends across communities, industries or geographies. 

 

 

 

GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

2026 MSC Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia

This guidance document contains suggestions aimed at supporting applications and nominations by all stakeholders for the MSC’s 2026 Sustainable Seafood Awards. Whether you are a nominator, nominee, selection committee member, or administrator, hope this document will serve as a helpful guide.

Entry Preparation

To assist in the planning process, develop a checklist of materials and data required for the submission so that you and your team can internally pull this together as a work in progress.

Research and Selection

Do some research on how other awards are presented for ideas to help your submission be clear, concise, interesting, and compelling.

Brief opening narrative

Including an opening narrative or an executive summary about the organization’s commitment to incentivizing sustainable fishing and seafood is a good way of communicating all the work/key takeaways and activities in a snapshot.

Review Criteria

Review the criteria for the specific category carefully and present your case accordingly in a way that flows well.

Support materials

Where relevant with regards to highlighting commitment to MSC, supplement submissions with supporting evidence and links to sustainability reports, success stories, third party quotes from influential stakeholders, quotes from internal leadership, promotional campaigns, catalogues, brochures, media articles, radio sound bites, etc.

Data and statistics

These are always helpful to substantiate commitments – in addition to providing the numbers. Also include some narrative on what these numbers infer to.

Presentation

Now that you have all your data, statistics, and information, ensure your submission is presented professionally in a way that flows well to the listed criteria, easy to review and an interesting read for the judges.

Proofread

Get someone who was not involved in the submission to proofread it.

Large files

For large files – consider using drop box or we transfer.

 

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/ 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 apply on the ASC or MSC website before the closing date

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 2025 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 are open until Friday, 20 January 2025, at 6 pm (AEDT). The winners will be announced and listed on the MSC website and can start communicating their award wins from the conclusion of the event on a date in March 2026, TBC.

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, web links, 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 mention award winners in all correspondence freely.

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. For judged categories, judges will judge based on a scorecard. There will be a pass/fail mark, so entries achieving over the pass mark will 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. For categories based on a public vote, the entrant with the highest votes over 1,000 will win. 

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, cancel the Awards, or 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 your local ASC or MSC contact.

21. These terms and conditions are governed by and will be interpreted by 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) to facilitate 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 of the MSC award entries and will store and process your data per its privacy policy.

Last updated: 23 October 2025

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.

Read the full list of the 2024 award winners

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).

Read the full list of the 2022 award winners

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