The National Biodiversity Network (NBN) is accepting nominations for the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2019.

These awards were developed in 2015 by the National Biodiversity Network Trust, the National Forum for Biological Recording and the Biological Records Centre to celebrate the achievements of individuals and groups in our sector.

Following the success of the last four years’ awards, we are excited by the prospect of even more nominations for amazing people in 2019!

Award categories

There are five categories of awards:

  •  NBN Award for Wildlife Recording – Terrestrial (open to individuals 21 years +)
  •  NBN Award for Wildlife Recording – Marine (open to individuals 21 years +)
  •  NBN Group Award (no age restrictions)
  •  NBN Young Person’s Award (open to individuals aged 11-20)
  •  NBN Newcomer Award (open to individuals 21 years +)

Nominations

If you, or your organisation, know of any individuals or any groups of people that have made an outstanding contribution, make sure you nominate them for the relevant award!

Please include as much relevant information as possible, under the various headings, on how your nominee is making a difference and the impact of their involvement in wildlife recording.

You can nominate the same person for different Award categories using a separate nomination form for each Award category.  If you wish to nominate more than one person or group please use a separate nomination form for each nominee. You can even nominate yourself!

Please send your completed nomination form to:  support@nbn.org.uk by 11 August 2019 or complete the relevant online nomination form by the same date.

Nomination Forms

Download the NBN Award for Wildlife Recording – Terrestrial 2019 nomination form (Editable MS Word document) or complete nomination online.

Download the NBN Award for Wildlife Recording – Marine 2019 nomination form (Editable MS Word document) or complete nomination online.

Download the NBN Group Award 2019 nomination form (Editable MS Word document) or complete nomination online.

Download the NBN Young Person’s Award 2019 nomination form (Editable MS Word document) or complete nomination online.

Download the NBN Newcomer Award 2019 nomination form (Editable MS Word document) or complete nomination online.

Important dates

Nominations open on 8 May and close on 11 August 2019.

This year, the five short-listed nominees from each award category will be announced on 1 October, giving us the opportunity to recognise the achievements of more biological recorders than in previous years.

The winners will be announced at a special ceremony on 13 November that is part of the National Biodiversity Network’s annual conference in Nottingham.

Sponsors

We are delighted that seven organisations and individuals – Opticron, Mrs. Ceri Leigh, the Field Studies Council (FSC), Nature Photographers Ltd, William Collins, British Wildlife magazine and Natural History Book Service – are supporting these awards this year.

Opticron is generously sponsoring prizes for the NBN Young Person’s Award and the NBN Newcomer Award.

 

Mrs Ceri Leigh is generously sponsoring prizes for the NBN Award for Wildlife Recording – Terrestrial and the NBN Award for Wildlife Recording – Marine.

The Field Studies Council (FSC) is generously sponsoring a prize for the NBN Group Award.

 

Nature Photographers Ltd is generously sponsoring prizes in all Award categories.

Now in its fourth year NPL co-ordinate the international Bird Photographer of the Year competition.

William Collins is generously sponsoring prizes in all Award categories.

British Wildlife magazine is generously sponsoring a prize for  NBN Newcomer Award.

 

Natural History Book Service is generously sponsoring a prize for the NBN Young Person’s Award.

Help us publicise these Awards!

Please help us spread the word about the 2019 NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording.  To make it easier for you, we have developed a Social Media Kit that you might like to use.  Of course you are welcome to edit our suggestions, as you see fit!  You might also like to use this photo (copyright Pete Boardman).

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), and 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.
  • The Awards Committee will consider the significance of the contribution (voluntary or otherwise) made to wildlife recording and/or improving our understanding of the UK’s biodiversity. This could include filling geographic or taxonomic gaps in our knowledge, encouraging and facilitating participation, verifying records, teaching or mentoring recorders, or creating and sharing tools and resources to support wildlife recording and increasing participation.
  • Nominations open on 8 May and close on 11 August 2019.
  • The winners will be notified by mid-October and invited to attend the awards ceremony.

John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award

As in the last four years, the NBN will once again be determining the winner of the above award, which 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 in 2019.

Criteria for the John Sawyer NBN Open Data Award:

The criteria for the Open Data Award are currently being reviewed and the details will be available in due course.

The winner of this Award will be notified by mid-October and invited to attend the awards ceremony on 13 November 2019.

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

Previous Years’ Awards

UK Award Winners 2018

UK Award Winners 2017

UK Award Winners 2016

UK Award Winners 2015

 

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.