The Whitley Awards are held annually by the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) to recognise and celebrate effective grassroots conservation leaders across the Global South. The charity's flagship conservation prizes, worth £40,000 in project funding over one year, are won competitively following assessment by an expert academic panel and are now amongst the most high profile of conservation prizes.[1] Often referred to by others as "Green Oscars", the Awards seek to recognise outstanding contributions to wildlife conservation with a focus on Asia, Africa and Latin America, bringing international attention to the work of deserving individuals committed to precipitating long-lasting conservation benefits on the ground, with the support of local communities. In addition to the funding aspect of the Whitley Awards, WFN also provides media and speech training to enable winners to effectively communicate their work and inspire further philanthropic support.
The Awards involve a process of reference, application and interview. The Whitley Awards Ceremony, hosted by the patron of WFN, the Princess Royal, is held annually at the Royal Geographical Society, usually in the Spring.
Established in 1994 by Edward Whitley, WFN has given £26 million to support the work of 200 local environmental heroes benefiting wildlife and communities in more than 80 countries across the Global South.
WFN seeks to: