For the 2012 Rolex Awards for Enterprise (RAE), Rolex has chosen Delhi as the venue to honour five winners – the Laureates – who embody the spirit of enterprise

 ·         Since 1976, 115 Laureates from 42 countries with projects in over 60 countries have won Rolex Awards

• ·         Distinguished jury members from diverse backgrounds select five winners, in a two-year process (122 world-renowned experts have served as judges to date)
• ·         Indian jury members in 2012 are Mahrukh Tarapor, Indian-born, American museum professional and expert on the arts of India; Subramaniam Ramadorai, Vice Chairman, Tata Consultancy Services; and Gururaj Deshpande, global philanthropist
• ·         More than 3,500 people from 154 countries applied to the 2012 RAE (nearly 30,000 applications since 1976)
• ·         Winners have ranged from 25 to 74 years old since the Awards began

Bangalore, May 29, 2012: After Geneva, New York, Tokyo, Paris, Singapore and Dubai, the Rolex Awards for Enterprise (RAE), a global philanthropic initiative, will be held in New Delhi in November 2012. Created to recognize the vision and achievements of individuals who have made the world a better place to live, the Rolex Awards support innovation in science and health, exploration and discovery, the environment, cultural heritage, and applied technology.

Commenting on the Rolex Awards coming to India for the first time, Rebecca Irvin, Head of Philanthropy at Rolex, said:“We believe India is a thought-leader in innovation and enterprise; a concept that is very well embraced and understood in the country. Over the years, of the more than 100 projects that have been supported by the Awards for Enterprise, we have had outstanding examples from India, echoing the vibrant character of the population. By holding the Awards ceremony in Delhi this year, we are recognizing the spirit of enterprise that prevails. In 2012, India had the second highest number of entries, and, in the future, we expect to reach out to many more deserving individuals whose projects are helping to improve the lives of those around them.”

An example of the diverse Rolex Award-winning initiatives in India is Chanda Shroff’s 2006 project to revive the craft of Kutchi embroidery in Gujarat, which has benefitted more than 20,000 women of all castes from 120 villages across Kutch. More recently, Piyush Tewari was honoured in 2010 for his SaveLife Foundation. This non-profit organization has trained over 2,000 police officers, as well as 500 ordinary citizens, in basic first aid, to create a nationally effective emergency response and deliver the fastest possible help to seriously injured road traffic victims.

About the Rolex Awards for Enterprise

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise were established in 1976 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster chronometer, the world’s first waterproof watch and one of the company’s greatest contributions to the watch industry. They were created to encourage men and women worldwide ready to take on major challenges to benefit humankind and the planet. The Rolex Awards and its sister programme, the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative, comprise the two major international philanthropic programmes run by the Rolex Institute.

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