One year ago, Hawaii passed a historic and unprecedented bill that banned the possession, sale and trade of shark fin. Not only did they take a brave stand to protect sharks, but they inspired a growing wave of legislative change, which has resulted in Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Washington, Oregon and the municipality of Brantford, Ontario passing similar bills and with Toronto, Ontario and California (each with the largest Chinese communities in their respective countries) having both proposed bills to accomplish the same end.
As the movement continues to expand and reflect the growing sentiments against shark fin soup, it is important to recognize the leaders standing up for this ancient and important species. That is why we are so proud to announce the winners of this year’s Happy Hearts Love Sharks wedding contest!
Happy Hearts Love Sharks Winners of 2011
Shark populations are plummeting around the world, primarily due to the demand for shark fin soup. Popular at Chinese wedding banquets, sharks depend on wedding couples to stand up for them. Happy Hearts Love Sharks aims to empower wedding couples to take leadership in their circle of friends and family to stand up and protect sharks by not serving shark fin soup at their banquet dinner. You can watch our video to see how it works.
It’s estimated that it takes one entire shark to make 10 bowls of shark fin soup.
Our Heroes
Shark fin soup is a Chinese delicacy with deep seated cultural roots, which can make it difficult for couples who want to break with custom on a day that is typically about family and tradition. This simple fact makes them all the braver – they truly are our heroes. Congratulations to every one of you on your new journey together and thank you to all those who voted and participated in the contest to show our wedding couples what a great community they have supporting them. So without further ado…
Drumroll please…
Canada’s Grand Prize Winner: A Trip to Hawaii to Dive with Sharks
Jason & Judy from Vancouver, BC – 959 votes
During the last 12 hours of the contest, it was an online battle for votes as Judy & Jason stayed on their computers getting their friends and family to vote for their entry. Both Judy & Jason and May & Dennis garnered over 300 votes each within the last 12 hours of the contest. Congratulations to both couples who put in a solid effort!
Check out Judy & Jason’s entry and all the encouraging comments they received on Facebook. We’ll keep you posted on their trip to dive with cage sharks in Hawaii (it’s their first time there!) this coming summer – we’re sure this will be an unforgettable adventure.
Draw Prize Winner: Waterproof Digital Camera
Janet & Mike from Victoria, BC
View the final vote count here.
Grand Prize Runners Up: Dennis and May from Vancouver, BC
May & Dennis did an amazing job promoting this contest and raising awareness about our work, receiving an impressive 778 votes. No strangers to the powers of Twitter, they also garnered over 300 votes in the last 12 hours! Thank you for introducing Shark Truth to your friends and networks.
Honourable Mention
Jenny & Andrew’s spirit shined in their entry. Not only did they place third with 295, construct a homemade shark costume for their entry but they even posted instructions to teach us how on their blog.
2011 Entries on Facebook:
Many of our wedding couples had to stand up against family tradition, explaining to their relatives and convincing their friends that sharks need our protection and that bucking tradition on shark fin soup is one of the best ways to do that. Not only did they make a choice to Stop the Soup, but they made a public pledge by sending in a photo entry for Happy Hearts Love Sharks. Whether it’s their creative photo entries or stories about how they bonded over Aikido, serenaded their partner over karaoke or made their own shark costume for their photo entry, these couples will inspire others to stand up for sharks. You’re all kick-butt winners in our eyes.
The Results
Through our six-week long Happy Hearts Love Sharks we:
- Diverted 4,300 bowls of shark fin soup from consumption (approximately 430 sharks);
- Secured pledges from 25 couples from around the world that entered the contest.
Stay Tuned
Want to be notified about next year’s contest? Email wedding-contest [at} sharktruth {dot] com
We’ll keep you updates with photos and stories from Judy and Jason’s trip to Hawaii this summer, where you can follow their journey into the waters for their first experience with sharks. We will also be posting our team’s favourite pick for “Most Creative Entry.”
Links
Read the stories of our 2011 couples
Help Centre for videos, information and print material
2011 Contest Web Page
Contest Sponsors
Press Release
