The Marine Aquarium Societies of North America has posthumously honored Reef Builders Managing Editor Jake Adams with the 2023 MASNA Award. In a statement released today, MASNA said that each year it recognizes individuals who have stepped forward in unique ways to promote successful aquarium keeping, whether that be through club support, research, publishing, or general community building:
“The MASNA Awards have a rich history of highlighting the people who have had the greatest impact on the aquarium community, and we continue to celebrate these individuals and their influence on the hobby.”
“Jake Adams has been chosen to receive the 2023 MASNA Award. His passion for aquarium keeping was obvious to anyone who met him or watched one of his videos. He had a natural talent and a keen eye for interesting species. His dedication to the hobby was evidenced by his commitment to referencing detailed information. His influence was felt in every corner of the community, which makes Jake the perfect addition to the list of MASNA Award winners.”
The aquarium community also mourned the sad loss of publisher James Lawrence, and he too has been Posthumously Honored by MASNA this year, receiving the Pioneer Award for Publishing.
“This year marks a distinct and poignant moment in the annual awards,” said MASNA. In our vibrant, close-knit community, we have recently bid farewell to two remarkable and deeply influential people. MASNA is honored to celebrate the legacies of these two instrumental leaders, who made extraordinary contributions in driving the progress and development of this science, art, hobby, and industry that has captivated us all.”
Previous MASNA award recipients Julian Sprung, Kevin Kohen, and Kathy Leahy, and Jake’s wife Windsor Adams had this to say about Jake winning the award:
“I am delighted to hear the news that Jake Adams and James Lawrence will be recognized this year by MASNA. Both had been nominated in the past, and deserved the honor and recognition, but sadly neither one had the chance to receive an award in person. Their passing has presented a moment for the industry to reflect on their many contributions, and so the time has finally come to say out loud that we really appreciated their hard work and the positive influence they had on the aquarium hobby. Both were media content producers who were dedicated to promoting the aquarium hobby, conservation, and science.
“Jake was not immediately an easy person to like… he was opinionated, arrogant, sometimes impatient, and rude. It took me time to get accustomed! He was nevertheless a good friend and a talented promoter of the aquarium industry. His intellect, passion, sincerity, and enthusiasm won me over. He also stayed on top of the latest research on the taxonomy of fishes and invertebrates, corals in particular, and it was fun sharing the news about published new biological discoveries with him and, more often, hearing about them from him.
“There is a connection between what I did early in my career with Reef Notes as well as my involvement with Aquarium Frontiers, and what he did with his creation, Reef Builders, but the scale of his work was so much greater as the news cycle online evolved to a faster pace than print could, and the development of aquarium equipment technology exploded right as Reef Builders blossomed. Jake branched out further with educational and entertaining video content that is so valuable to the aquarium hobby. I was in awe of his achievements. His death was a great loss, but it is wonderful to see his work and legacy live on and to follow the talented people involved in perpetuating what Jake started.
“Jake Adams, Vincent Chalias, and I enjoyed a dive trip together in Bali in 2013. We talked about follow-up dive adventures, and Jake and Vincent had more trips together, but sadly, I missed those opportunities. Recently, Vincent organized a Jake Adams memorial dive trip to Sulawesi, Indonesia that just happened a little over a month ago, approximately one year after Jake passed away. I was fortunate to be able to join this time. Jake’s brother Lucas was there too, along with a small group of friends. We celebrated Jake’s love of corals and passion for the underwater world, and planted a memorial reef, securing the corals using hydraulic cement mixed with Jake’s ashes so that he would always be there as the foundation holding the corals he loved so dearly.”
—Julian Sprung, 2004 MASNA Award Recipient
“Jake Adams’ enthusiasm, passion, and charisma is sorely missed. Most admirable was his relentless quest for knowledge about marine animals, coral reefs, and marine aquarium keeping, which he unselfishly shared through his blog posts on Reef Builders, personal interactions, and lectures around the world. There are very few people in this world who exuded the level of commitment and passion for the aquarium hobby and industry that Jake Adams did. He was a true ambassador of our hobby and industry, one of the good ones, and is sorely missed.”
—Kevin Kohen, 2012 MASNA Award Recipient
“To my mind, Jake introduced the concept of the importance of laminar or gyre water flow in reef aquariums when chaotic flow patterns were all the rage. His scientific work to prove the biological advantage of laminar flow, which he presented at one of the first big meetings I attended, still sticks with me. His work predated the gyre flow pumps now commercially produced and ubiquitous in the hobby.
“He also produced digital encyclopedias of fish and corals with the goal of making reef animal identification and care convenient and accessible. His camera was always in evidence, and he shared freely. His contributions to Reef Builders are well known.
“I remember one meeting, I think it was IMAC when he was asked to fill in for a speaker who was suddenly unable to speak. Jake scrounged up some plastic bits and pieces, scissors, and super glue, and gave a great talk, with show and tell, off the cuff, of how to make simple tools to accomplish aquarium-related tasks, MacGyver style. It was impressively done.
“His dedication to understanding how things work, how marine biology works, and sharing what he knew, as well as his larger-than-life personality, made him stand out as a major contributor to the hobby.”
—Kathy Leahy, 2021 MASNA Aquarist Of The Year
“Jake loved to bolster people up. The work he did with Reef Builders really wasn’t about him, rather it was truly about the importance of the hobby. It had nothing to do with receiving accolades. His infectious passion for all things aquatic was one of the things that drew me to him and drew us all to him. As his wife, it is incredibly special to accept this award on his behalf. Even though he was nominated several times, Jake outwardly acted like this award was no big deal. But in private, I know that deep down it was a big deal to him. So Jake would be so thrilled and honored to join the past honorees whom he considered friends and colleagues. I hope the legacy of Jake Adams is celebrated for years to come, especially for our son, Reef. One day, Reef will know how incredibly amazing his Dad was. And this MASNA award is just another way to show our appreciation for all he did for the hobby. We miss you, Jake.”
—Windsor and Reef Adams
Jake Adams’ skill, passion, and determination saw him personally pen and publish over 6800 news stories and articles for Reef Builders. Starting as a blog in 2004, after Jake came on board the platform grew to become a multi-media brand with shows, podcasts, and videos, and quickly became the most influential marine aquarium resource on the Internet. Jake’s talent saw him become Managing Editor and Co-owner of Reef Builders, building a Studio to create content, and informing, educating, and entertaining hundreds of thousands of like-minded people all over the world. The MASNA Award is a fitting tribute to a remarkable man.
Jake passed away unexpectedly in October 2022, aged 41. He is survived by his loving wife Windsor Adams, and son Reef Adams, born in May 2023. Reef Builders will continue Jake’s legacy.
Reef Builders also pays tribute to James Lawrence, himself a giant of the pet publishing world, hugely influential, and a prolific producer of aquarium-related literature and with it news, articles, passion, images, and education.
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