Overview
Nominations are now open for the 2012 Indianapolis Prize
 Nominations for the 2012 Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation, will be accepted from now until January 21, 2011. The $100,000 biennial award is given to an individual animal conservationist who has made significant achievements in advancing sustainability of an animal species or group of species. It represents the largest individual monetary award for animal conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen recipient.
Anyone can nominate a candidate for the Indianapolis Prize. To be accepted as Nominees, individuals must have accomplished a personal achievement or series of achievements that have resulted in a demonstrable positive impact on a species or group of species that is likely to improve the species’ likelihood of long-term survival.
For complete guidelines and to learn more about the nominating process, send an e-mail to nomination@indianapolisprize.org. Once your request has been received, a nomination form with instructions may be sent by return e-mail if applicable.
The winner of the 2010 Indianapolis Prize announced in Washington D.C.
 Relentless in his lifelong devotion to the elephants’ survival, Save the Elephants founder Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Ph.D., has been named the 2010 recipient of the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. In recognition for his lifetime achievements, Dr. Douglas-Hamilton will receive $100,000 and the Lilly Medal at a gala ceremony presented by Cummins Inc. on Sept. 25, 2010, at The Westin Hotel in Indianapolis.
The colorful career of Iain Douglas-Hamilton has included being squashed by a rhino, targeted by poachers, and poked by elephants’ tusks. He has suffered malaria, hepatitis and other diseases so exotic most people have never even heard of them – not to mention the plane crashes he has survived. He has persevered through severe droughts and a flood so powerful it washed away years of research. So why does he endure all this? One reason – to save elephants.
The six finalists for the 2010 Indianapolis Prize have been announced!
The Indianapolis Prize is the largest individual monetary award for animal species conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree. The Prize is given every other year to an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts involving a single animal species or multiple species.
 The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation provides funding for the Indianapolis Prize. In addition to the $100,000 unrestricted cash award, the winner receives the prestigious Lilly Medal. The first and second winners of the $100,000 award were selected from a slate of internationally recognized conservationists and announced at two extraordinary celebrations in Indianapolis, the first on September 30, 2006, and the second on September 27, 2008, both at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
The first two Indianapolis Prize Galas were presented by AES Corporation, the parent corporation of Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL). They highlighted not only the finalists and winners, but also the vitality and commitment of the Indianapolis Community. In the photo (above), four of the six finalists for the 2008 Indianapolis Prize appeared on stage together at the Gala. These extraordinary people are (left to right) Dr. Rodney Jackson, Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Dr. George Schaller, and Dr. Laurie Marker. The 2010 Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc., is set for September 25, 2010, at the Westin Hotel in downtown Indianapolis.
The Indianapolis Prize is the largest individual monetary award for animal species conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree. The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation provides funding for the Indianapolis Prize. In addition to the $100,000 unrestricted cash award, the winner receives the prestigious Lilly Medal.
.jpg) This celebration draws international attention to conservation issues and receives extensive media coverage. It is not designed to be a quiet, academic, scientist-focused event, but instead an energetic and spectacular celebration of conservation victories. The goal is to inspire the general public to start caring about conservation, and to place heroes, who live in tents in danger of both wild beasts and poachers, on the pedestal that we usually reserve for sports and entertainment stars.
It was first awarded in 2006 to Dr. George Archibald, the co-founder of the International Crane Foundation and one of the world's great field biologists. In 2008, the Indianapolis Prize went to Dr. George Schaller, the world's pre-eminent field biologist and vice president of science and exploration for the Wildlife Conservation Society.
The Indianapolis Prize is a visible component of the internationally recognized conservation efforts being undertaken by the Indianapolis Zoo.
|