Madison Stewart Young Conservationist of the Year 2017
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.australiangeographic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IMG_5192.jpg?fit=900%2C529&ssl=1)
Growing up on Australia’s Gold Coast, ‘Shark Girl’ Madison Stewart has always had a strong connection with the ocean. At the age of 12, she began scuba diving and, mesmerised by the beauty of the sea and its sharks, turned her hand to underwater filmmaking. Madison began exploring the underwater realm where she discovered a shocking decline in shark numbers. Since making this discovery, Madison has made it her mission, with film as her medium, to reconnect humans with the ocean and save sharks. She is a passionate advocate for what she sees as a sadly misunderstood species and has successfully lobbied supermarket chains to stop the sale of shark products. Madison features alongside Valerie Taylor in the landmark new documentary Blue, which explores a host of threats to our world’s oceans.
READ MORE:
- About the Society Awards
- Past winners: AG Society Lifetime of Achievement Awards
- Past winners: AG Society Spirit of Adventure Awards
- Past winners: AG Society Adventure Awards
- Past winners: AG Society Conservation Awards