Bernard Weber, Founder-President of New7Wonders, presented the first New7Wonders of Nature Finalists Recognition Award to Poland’s Masurian Lake District today in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The Masurian Lake District, one of the top 14 Finalists in the global voting campaign, received the New7Wonders of Nature Finalists Recognition Award “For the most visible local, national and transnational government support for the campaign“. The Recognition Awards honour the work of the Finalists that reached the top 14 group but did not achieve the New7Wonders of Nature status.
“The Masurian Lakes Campaign was marked by an impressive level of participation across a broad spectrum of Polish society,” said Bernard Weber. “For example, when Poland took over the rotating presidency of the European Union last year, it brought the campaign to the attention of 500 million Europeans. This, and many more initiatives, expressed genuine enthusiasm for the New7Wonders of Nature concept and has justifiably earned Poland and the Masurian Lake District this special New7Wonders of Nature Government Support Award.”
The Masurian Lake District in northeastern Poland contains more than 2,000 lakes. It extends eastwards from the lower Vistula River to the Poland-Lithuania border and occupies an area of some 52,000 square kilometres.
The Masurian Lakes Campaign culminated in Warsaw on 20 October last year when three of the country’s presidents, Lech Wałęsa, Bronisław Komorowski and Aleksander Kwaśniewski, came together with Bernard Weber, in a display of solidarity for the Polish finalist.
The New7Wonders of Nature Finalist Recognition Awards are:
Bu Tinah Island: Environmental Consciousness Award. For achieving the highest levels of environmental consciousness.
Dead Sea: Nature Without Borders Award. For the unique prospect of collaboration over a common nature cause.
Great Barrier Reef: Multimedia Creativity Award. For the most creative use of multimedia advertising and marketing.
Jeita Grotto: International Campaign Award. For achieving the highest levels of international voting participation.
Kilimanjaro: Positive Dedication Award. For the dedication shown to campaigning to deliver the national benefits of participation.
Masurian Lake District: Government Support Award. For the most visible local, national and transnational government support for the campaign.
Sundarbans: Transformational Campaign Award. For the use of the campaign to transform the image of the country at home and abroad.