Whitley Award

Benefits & funding

• £50,000 GBP in project funding, to be spent over a one-year period.
• Directed at scaling an existing, evidence-based conservation project led by the applicant.

Eligibility

• Conservation leaders who are nationals of the country where they work — born there, or long-resident with achieved national status. Expatriates are not the focus of the scheme.
• The project must be based in a country that is not classed as a High Income Economy by the World Bank (with a few stated exceptions such as Equatorial Guinea and some Caribbean island nations); projects in High Income Economies are excluded.
• Mid-career: several years into a conservation career. Early-career applicants are directed elsewhere.
• The project must show past success and an evidence-based approach — no pilot or start-up-stage work; no absentee leaders (e.g. a leader mid-PhD who will be away from the project).
• Applicants typically lead or work for a locally incorporated NGO; audited accounts are preferred.
• Three referees, none with a financial interest in the project, able to comment with authority on the work; at least one must be an international referee.

Application process

1. 1
   When the cycle opens (July/August for the following year’s awards), register on the online application portal at whitleyaward.org.
2. 2
   Complete the online application form — applications are accepted only through the portal, not by email.
3. 3
   Line up three referees and ensure they submit their references by the stated deadline; it is the applicant’s responsibility to confirm they meet it.
4. 4
   Shortlisted finalists are assessed further before winners are announced.

Program timeline

1. July/August 2026

   Applications for the 2027 Whitley Awards open (exact date not yet published).

2. Late October

   Application and referee deadline (the 2026 cycle closed 31 October 2025; the 2027 deadline is not yet published).

3. Following spring

   Winners announced.