The National Biodiversity Network wants to recognise significant achievement and celebrate success in biological recording and information sharing.

The NBN therefore established a national award scheme, in 2015, in partnership with the Biological Records Centre and the National Forum for Biological Recording. These awards are made annually to individuals, groups of people or organisations that are making outstanding contributions to biological recording and improving our understanding of the natural world.

Award categories

There are six categories:

  • Gilbert White Youth Award for terrestrial and freshwater wildlife
  • Gilbert White Adult Award for terrestrial and freshwater wildlife
  • David Robertson Youth Award for marine and coastal wildlife
  • David Robertson Adult Award for marine and coastal wildlife
  • Lynne Farrell Group Award for wildlife recording
  • Adult Newcomer Award

Nominations for the 2017 Awards

Nominations are now open and will close on 31 July.  Information on how to nominate an individual or group of biological recorders (together with the relevant nomination forms) is available.

Rules of the Awards

  • The National Biodiversity Network Trust will make the awards annually.
  • 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 Senior Communications Officer, will decide on the winners each year. The Committee will include the Chair of the NBN Board of Trustees, the NBN Patron, the CEO of the NBN and representatives of the Biological Records Centre and National Forum for Biological Recording.
  • Successful nominees will be notified by the end of October and invited to attend the awards ceremony in November.

John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award

This award has been created to “recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution of NBN Data Partners in achieving the vision of the NBN in collecting and sharing biological data openly to educate and inform”.

Using the criteria below, the NBN Secretariat will identify one Data Partner deserving of the John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award each year.

Criteria for the John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award:

  • NBN membership – Organisation must be a member of the NBN
  • Currency – The mean age of the data
  • Resolution – Organisations that make their records available at 100 m resolution or better
  • Licences – The data must be licensed with either a CC BY, CC0 or OGL licence.

The winner of the Award will be notified by the end of October and invited to attend the awards ceremony in November.

N.B. Nominations cannot be made for the John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award.

2016 Awards

Information on all of the 2016 winners can be found in our previous news article.

2015 Awards

Information on all of the 2015 winners can be found in our previous news article.