COVID-19 Effects on the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society®

Due to the unprecedented circumstances of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society will defer the 2020 Rolex Scholarships and the 2020 Internships until Summer 2021. Having just recently selected three new Rolex Scholars and five new Interns, the decision to postpone was not easy.  However, the Society’s Board of Directors recognizes the seriousness and uncertainty of the pandemic and decided it would be irresponsible and potentially unsafe to send Scholars and Interns out into the world at this time.

Additionally, the Society’s annual Symposium and Rolex Awards Ceremony, scheduled for June 6, 2020, in New York City, will be moving to an online, virtual event. Exact details are still in development, but we plan to have presentations from the returning Scholars and Interns as well as the world premieres of the films from the 2019 Rolex Scholars.

We, as the Board of Directors, are disappointed that we cannot meet in-person this year.  However, it is more important than ever that we celebrate success in the face of challenging times.

We look forward to celebrating with you all soon.

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About the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society

Since 1974, the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society has fostered leaders in the underwater world through experience-based scholarships and internships focused on, in, and around underwater-related disciplines. Since the beginning, Rolex has been the Society’s ‘partner in education.’ OWUSS is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization and is a separate entity from the Our World Underwater Dive and Travel Show.

For more information or to follow the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society:
visit our website at https://owuscholarship.org/ or follow us on Instagram: @OWUSS, or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rolexscholarship/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/2446514415/