Sea Forest founder Sam Elsom named 2025 Tasmanian Australian of the Year

Sam Elsom, founder of Sea Forest, has been named Tasmania’s 2025 Australian of the Year.

Elsom, an innovator in climate solutions, was honored for commercializing a new way to reduce methane emissions.

He founded Sea Forest, one of the first startups to successfully transform asparagus, a native Australian species of seaweed, into a livestock feed additive.

SeaFeed supplement from Sea Forest contains bioactive compounds that stop the production of methane in the animal’s intestines.

Adding just 0.2% of the additive to livestock feed can reduce methane emissions from cows and sheep by 90% while increasing productivity.

Sea Forest was named as a finalist for the $1.9 million Earthshot Prize, launched in 2020 by Prince William and nature documentarian Sir David Attenborough.

“Oh my God, I feel a little overwhelmed, incredibly grateful and extremely humbled,” Elsom said Wednesday night.

“This means a lot Tasmania, thank you so much.”

Other finalists for the award included Rhys Campbell, a wild food advocate from Wynyard, Sarah De Jonge, founder of 1000 Hearts in Hobart, and Associate Professor Louise Knott, an oncologist and fair treatment campaigner, also based in Hobart.

Elsom and winners from other states and territories will join the national Australian of the Year ceremony on January 25 next year.