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The Great Barrier Reef earns environmental nominationFar North Queensland, Australia

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Move over, Sir David Attenborough, there’s a new eco-icon in town, and it’s made entirely of coral. That’s right, the Great Barrier Reef is up for a United Nations Lifetime Achievement Award - the first non-human nominee ever. And frankly? It’s about time.

With 10,000 years of being fabulous, biodiverse, and biologically generous, the reef has been mentoring marine life, inspiring millions of travellers, and keeping it real for generations of fish, First Nations communities, and curious snorkellers. According to the team behind the nomination (Reef Guardian Councils, Traditional Owners, marine biologists, and a bunch of wide-eyed school kids from Reef Guardian Schools), the reef isn’t just a pretty face, it’s a healer, a teacher, and a full-blown environmental influencer.

To help the nomination along, A Lifetime of Greatness Project campaign was created, asking the world to get behind the Reef and celebrate it like the living, breathing legend it is. The submission video even features Master Reef Guides (yes, that’s a real job title) and local students fan-girling about plankton and biodiversity. Cute and educational.

And the best is that the nomination cleverly uses the UN’s own rulebook, arguing that the reef qualifies as a “living individual” because UNESCO said it’s a "distinct entity." It’s a bold move and we love to see it.

So, if you’ve ever swum over this natural wonder and thought, “wow, this thing is really beautiful,” now’s your chance to show it the love it really deserves. Head to A Lifetime of Greatness to get involved because not all heroes wear capes, some are actually covered in clownfish.

need to know

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Reef Guardian Councils have collaborated with the communities of the Great Barrier Reef including Traditional Owners, marine biologists, the tourism industry and Reef Guardian Schools to nominate the World Heritage Area as the first non-human recipient of the award.

This project has been made possible by Tourism Tropical North Queensland, and the grant funding received from the Australian Government, under the International Tourism Recovery Program administered by Austrade.