Five years ago, in 2017, the idea for the Global Blue Ocean Leadership Awards was born. The aim was to create an award given out every five years that would recognize and shine a light on individuals who have led and fostered the creation of blue oceans that have made a meaningful difference and could offer hope and inspiration to the world.
2022 marks the second Global Blue Ocean Leadership Awards. The winners exemplify individuals and organizations going beyond competing in existing markets and creating wide-open blue oceans of new market space, inspiring confidence, and seizing new growth.

We are proud to announce that the first winner of the 2022 Global Blue Ocean Leadership Award is Ted Dacko, the Executive Director of the Blue Ocean High School Entrepreneur Pitch Competition.

Ted is a seven-time CEO, has over 45 years of entrepreneurial experience, and has been leading the Blue Ocean High School Entrepreneur Pitch Competition for the last 4 years. Under his outstanding leadership, the competition has grown to be the largest and most prestigious virtual pitch competition for high school students in the world. This year, over 2,000 students from over 60 countries registered for the competition, and more than 600 teams competed for the best blue ocean pitch.