Isaac Nelson is a finalist for the Sylvia Earle Ocean Award

CONTACT: Jeanne Meyers                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Co-founder/Director
The MY HERO Project
[email protected]

JUNE 4, 2025 — LAGUNA BEACH, CA

The MY HERO Project is pleased to announce that Shoreline Story, a short documentary in which young ocean conservationist Isaac Nelson shares his journey, is a finalist for the 2026 Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award.

Isaac Nelson Isaac Nelson, with permission

“If you were able to look into the water and see what it was like here fifty years ago, you wouldn’t believe your eyes. There was life everywhere you looked.” When ninety-eight-year-old Jupiter, Florida resident Bodil Anderson said those words to Isaac Nelson, they stuck. The thirteen-year-old conservationist decided that it was up to him to make the change. 

Isaac made his first educational film at just seven years old, after he decided to document everything that his mother was teaching him about botany. “Everything we were learning was so fascinating,” he told MY HERO, “We wanted to make a video about it to share with our friends.” Only three years later, he made a film called Mangroves Matter for Future Waves, a US-based non-profit working to connect children to marine biology and ocean conservation efforts. Upon the release of Mangroves Matter, Nelson was given the opportunity to meet Sylvia Earle and learn more about her work.

Just this week, Isaac gave a talk at the Explorers Club in New York City for World Oceans Week alongside Sylvia Earle, The Cousteaus, Gabrielle McGee from Future Waves, among several other ocean conservation icons.

Isaac Nelson is very much a conservation legend in his own right, though. At just eight years old, he started his very own ocean conservation group called the Eco Scouts. Each week, Isaac organizes a variety of environmental education sessions and conservation projects. “I created the Eco Scouts when I fell in love with the natural world, and wanted to share all it has to offer with my generation,” Isaac explained, “I wanted to spend time learning about and protecting wild spaces while also educating my peers.”

Isaac Nelson, with permissionThe Eco Scouts

Most recently, the group have been restoring the shoreline alongside the Jupiter Lighthouse, shown in the film. Isaac Nelson is more than a young filmmaker; he’s an inspiration. He is living proof of his own words:

Kids are capable of effecting real change in this world.

Isaac Nelson, with permissionThe Eco Scouts

Below, you can read more of Isaac’s interview with MY HERO. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why were you drawn to making this film?

I hear the old locals in Jupiter constantly talking about the good old days when the sea grass beds were healthy, you could swim with wild dolphins and eat oysters out of your back yard. Our waters are so void of life compared to what they were just decades ago. I decided to act and try to fix some of the problems. Kids are capable of effecting real change in this world. This film is my way of sharing that and trying to get others to be inspired to act in ways they can too. When people ask Sylvia Earle what they can do to protect our oceans, her response is always “What have you got?” What are you able to contribute? However big or small, just start.

What in your opinion is the importance of the film, and what are its strengths?

The strength of this film comes from its multigenerational voice, and how it inspires its viewers to act. When the seawall was put in so many people in our community complained, but nobody did anything about it. This film shows how we can see a problem and respond by making real genuine change.

What was it like for you making this film? What were some of the challenges, successes, and high points?

Making the film was the easy part of this endeavor. The hard part was the conservation work that led up to it. Lots of hard labor, stress, coordinating lots of people and organizations, etc. I’m lucky I have my family, my Eco Scouts, and my community partners to support me. 

What most inspires you about the Eco Scouts?

My Eco Scouts keep showing up, even when what we are doing is hard work, requires a lot of them, or isn’t something most traditional teenagers would consider “fun.” But my Eco Scouts aren’t normal kids. We ask a lot of them and through it all they are considerate, caring, and engaged.

What was the process of designing and building your underwater camera like?

Designing the camera was a lot harder than I expected. My grandpa is a retired jet engineer and even he was stumped with some of my engineering questions. Luckily, I had a great mentor at the University of Miami and through lots of trial and error we got it to where it is today.

Who helped make this possible?

My parents and the Eco Scouts, Gabielle Raymond McGee at Future Waves, Peter Dewitt with the Bureau of Land Management, Tom Twyford at The West Palm Beach Fishing Club, Dr Todd Osborne at the University of Florida, and Joseph Unsworth at the University of Miami. I also have to give a shout out to @treasurecoastaerial for providing me with beautiful drone shots of the lighthouse and shorelines. 

Do you have a mentor or a personal hero?

I have so many wonderful mentors! Her Deepness Sylvia Earle is the GOAT of Ocean Conservation. Getting to celebrate her 90th birthday at the Explorers Club with the Cousteaus for World Ocean Week was amazing.  I also am highly encouraged by Jack Lighton Executive Director of the 4 Ocean Foundation, Gabrielle McGee of Future Waves and Mission Blue, Benji Studt of PBCERM, John Scully Former CEO of Apple and Pepsi, even Forrest Galante and multiple National Geographic Explorers that have personally taught me. I could go on and on. I find that people who care about our planet usually really care about the people on it as well. 

Watch Shoreline Story here.

About the Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award

MacGillivray-Freeman Films Educational Foundation’s One World One Ocean Campaign sponsors the ‘Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award’ annually at the MY HERO International Film Festival. One World One Ocean is a global non-profit campaign designed to connect people emotionally to the world's ocean. Their mission is to raise awareness of ocean degradation, to inspire audiences through cinematography and to spark a global movement to protect our seas.

Sylvia Earle is a world-renowned oceanographer, explorer, author, lecturer, leader, and research scientist who has led more than 70 expeditions, logging more than 6,500 hours underwater. Formally chief scientist of NOAA and now a National Geographic explorer-in-residence, she was awarded the 2009 TED Prize for her proposal to establish a global network of marine protected areas, called “hope spots.”

Said Greg MacGillivray, Chairman of MacGillivray Freeman Films, “Sylvia Earle is our ocean hero, and we hope this award inspires aspiring filmmakers to shine a spotlight on other dedicated people from all walks of life who are working tirelessly on behalf of our oceans."

Read more about the award, and its sponsors, here.

To see previous winners of the MY HERO Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award, or enter for 2027, go to: myhero.com/sylvia-earle-ocean-conservation-award

About the MY HERO International Film Festival:

The My Hero Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing films that celebrate the power of the human spirit. Hosted by Eva Haller, a prominent philanthropist and advocate for social change, the festival provides a platform for filmmakers to share inspirational stories of everyday heroes. Thanks to generous sponsors, prizes are awarded to elementary, middle school, high school, college and professionals in a variety of categories including documentary, narrative, music video, animation, experimental, and more.

The festival aims to inspire audiences to recognize the heroism in their own lives and encourage positive actions in their communities. Learn more.