Vote for Mote in “Best of Sarasota” awards
Voting is now open for Sarasota Magazine’s annual “Best of Sarasota” awards and there are multiple ways to vote for Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium! Winners will be announced in Sarasota Magazine’s May 2017 issue.
Vote by Jan. 15 and be entered for a chance to win two tickets to Sarasota Magazine’s “Best of Sarasota” party at Selby Gardens
Vote for Mote as the Best of Sarasota 2016 in the following categories:
Best Tourist Attraction
Mote Aquarium invites visitors to discover the wonders of the ocean while learning about the importance of sustaining our marine environment. Visitors of Mote Aquarium can see sharks, manatees, sea turtles, river otters, seahorses, rays, skates and invertebrates. The Aquarium also includes windows into Mote's working laboratories. For more info, visit mote.org.
Best Fundraising Gala - Oceanic Evening
This year, Mote Marine Laboratory celebrated the success of its first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign, Oceans of Opportunity, and the extraordinary generosity of its supporters at the Lab’s annual fundraising event, Oceanic Evening – on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota.
Oceanic Evening drew about 400 ocean supporters for an elegant event that applauded the historic achievement of Mote’s comprehensive campaign and shared the Lab’s exciting vision for the future.
It was announced that Mote is looking beyond the 2020 goals supported by the campaign, ultimately working to transform its Sarasota campus into an international marine science, technology and innovation park that will bring together scientists and entrepreneurs from around the world. Achieving this goal is going to require a significant change to our research infrastructure on City Island, which will require building a new informal education center on the mainland where it will serve as a new sixth campus for Mote and it will bring ocean literacy to our broader community
Best Festival or Special Event - Siesta Key Crystal Classic
The Crystal Classic is a sandsculpting competition that draws thousands to Siesta Public Beach and raises awareness for endangered sea turtles. The production of this year's festival was a partnership between the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce and Mote Marine Laboratory, which aimed to generate awareness of Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program that coordinates conservation of endangered sea turtles along 35 miles of Sarasota County beaches, including Siesta Key.