Nominations are open for the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2025
Through these Awards, the National Biodiversity Network Trust recognises significant achievements and celebrates successes in wildlife recording in the UK.
The NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2025
This year there are seven categories of awards:
- NBN Lifetime Achievement Award 2025
- NBN Verifier’s Award 2025
- NBN Young Person’s Award 2025 (open to individuals aged 11-20)
- NBN Newcomer Award 2025
- NBN Award for Marine Wildlife Recording 2025
- NBN Award for Terrestrial Wildlife Recording 2025
- NBN Group Award 2025
Nominating someone for an NBN Award couldn’t be simpler – just answer three or four simple questions online or on our MS Word nomination forms – please see below.
Individuals and groups can also nominate themselves!
Nominations close on Monday 21 April 2025, and the NBN Award winners will be announced at the National Biodiversity Network Conference in November.
NBN Lifetime Achievement Award 2025
- Do you know someone who has been recording wildlife in the UK for many years?
- If you think they are deserving of recognition, why not nominate them for an NBN Lifetime Achievement Award by answering just 4 simple questions?
Complete your nomination online or download this MS Word nomination form.
NBN Verifier’s Award 2025
- Do you know someone who verifies wildlife records in the UK?
- If you think they are deserving of recognition, why not nominate them for an NBN Verifier’s Award by answering just 3 simple questions?
Complete your nomination online or download this MS Word nomination form.
NBN Young Person’s Award 2025
- Do you know a young person (between the ages of 11 and 20 years old) who records wildlife and is making a difference, increasing our understanding of nature in the UK?
- If you think they are deserving of recognition, why not nominate them for an NBN Young Person’s Award by answering just 3 simple questions?
Complete your nomination online or download this MS Word nomination form.
Please note, this NBN Award is open to individuals aged between 11 and 20 years old on 30 November 2025.
NBN Newcomer Award 2025
- Do you know someone who is new to recording wildlife but is already making a difference, increasing our understanding of nature in the UK?
- If you think they are deserving of recognition, why not nominate them for an NBN Newcomer Award by answering just 3 simple questions?
Complete your nomination online or download this MS Word nomination form.
NBN Award for Marine Wildlife Recording 2025
- Do you know someone who records marine or coastal wildlife who is making a difference, increasing our understanding of nature in the UK?
- If you think they are deserving of recognition, why not nominate them for an NBN Marine Award by answering just 4 simple questions?
Complete your nomination online or download this MS Word nomination form.
- Do you know someone who records terrestrial or freshwater wildlife who is making a difference, increasing our understanding of nature in the UK?
- If you think they are deserving of recognition, why not nominate them for an NBN Terrestrial Award by answering just 4 simple questions?
Complete your nomination online or download this MS Word nomination form.
NBN Group Award 2025
- Do you know a group of people who are regularly recording wildlife and making a difference – increasing our understanding of nature in the UK?
- If you think they are deserving of recognition, why not nominate them for an NBN Group Award by answering just 4 simple questions?
Complete your nomination online or download this MS Word nomination form.
Please note that both voluntary groups and commercial organisations may be nominated for this NBN Award.
2025 Sponsors of Prizes
We are delighted that seven organisations – the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Opticron, Habitat Aid, the Field Studies Council, William Collins, British Wildlife magazine and Natural History Book Service (NHBS) – are supporting the NBN Awards this year, by sponsoring the prizes.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is generously sponsoring prizes for the NBN Lifetime Achievement Award and for the NBN Verifier’s Award.
Opticron is generously sponsoring prizes for the NBN Young Person’s Award and for the NBN Newcomer Award.
Habitat Aid is generously sponsoring prizes for the NBN Award for Marine Wildlife Recording, for the NBN Award for Terrestrial Wildlife Recording and for the NBN Group Award.
The Field Studies Council is generously sponsoring the prize for the NBN Group Award.
William Collins is generously sponsoring prizes for the NBN Young Person’s Award, the NBN Newcomer Award, for the NBN Award for Marine Wildlife Recording and for the NBN Award for Terrestrial Wildlife Recording.
British Wildlife magazine is generously sponsoring a prize for the NBN Newcomer Award.
Natural History Book Service is generously sponsoring a prize for the NBN Young Person’s Award.
Previous Years’ NBN Awards
2024 Awards
Information on all of the 2024 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2022 Awards
Information on all of the 2022 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2021 Awards
Information on all of the 2021 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2020 Awards
Information on all of the 2020 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2019 Awards
Information on all of the 2019 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2018 Awards
Information on all of the 2018 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2017 Awards
Information on all of the 2017 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2016 Awards
Information on all of the 2016 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
2015 Awards
Information on all of the 2015 NBN Award winners can be found in our previous news article.
Rules of the NBN Awards
- Nominations may be made by anyone (including people and organisations that are not Network members). You may even nominate yourself!
- Individuals, groups of people or entire organisations are eligible for the awards.
- The Awards committee, chaired by the NBN Trust’s Communications and Engagement Manager, will decide on the winners each year.
- Nominations open on 9 January 2025 and close on 21 April 2025.
- The winners will be announced at the NBN Conference in November 2025.
Nominators’ and Nominees’ Contact Details
The privacy of Award nominators’ and nominees’ information is assured. While we might contact the nominator again about the Awards in future years, we will not email any information about the NBN Trust’s other work to the nominator or nominee, unless we have been actively requested to.
