The Whitley Award is the flagship annual prize of the Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN), a UK charity. It funds national conservation leaders to scale up proven, science-based, community-rooted projects.
The 2027 round is open now. Leaders apply themselves (no nomination) through WFN’s online portal; an expert panel judges, and winners are celebrated at a London ceremony.
Benefits & funding
- £50,000 in project funding, spent over one year.
- International profile, communications and media support, plus training and networking during Awards week in London.
- Winners become eligible for Continuation Funding and the Whitley Gold Award.
Eligibility
- Nationals of the country they work in (born there, or long-resident with national status); expatriates are not funded. Non-nationals with 15+ years’ residency in an eligible country and a proven commitment to it may contact WFN about an exceptional case.
- Work in at least one country on WFN’s eligible list (largely non-High-Income economies).
- Mid-career: several years in conservation, including managing grants of similar size; no start-up or pilot projects.
- Must work for, or formally partner with, a locally incorporated NGO, charity, not-for-profit or university; government employees are excluded.
- One named project leader; no joint entries or nominations for others.
- Must speak English without a translator.
- Rejected twice in a row: no third consecutive year.
- Eligible countries (2027 list): Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, North Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Saint Lucia, Palestine, Sudan, Suriname, Eswatini, Syria, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Western Sahara, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Angola · Argentina · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bangladesh · Belarus · Belize · Benin · Bhutan
Residents of Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · Angola · Argentina · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bangladesh · Belarus · Belize · Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Botswana · Brazil · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · North Korea · DR Congo · Djibouti · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Fiji · Gabon · Gambia · Georgia · Ghana · Grenada · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iraq · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Mongolia · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nepal · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · North Macedonia · Pakistan · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Moldova · Rwanda · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Serbia · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sri Lanka · Saint Lucia · Palestine · Sudan · Suriname · Eswatini · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Uganda · Ukraine · Tanzania · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Western Sahara · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe can also apply.
+ 120 more
Bolivia · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Botswana · Brazil · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · North Korea · DR Congo · Djibouti · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Fiji · Gabon · Gambia · Georgia · Ghana · Grenada · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iraq · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Mongolia · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nepal · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · North Macedonia · Pakistan · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Moldova · Rwanda · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Serbia · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sri Lanka · Saint Lucia · Palestine · Sudan · Suriname · Eswatini · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Uganda · Ukraine · Tanzania · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Western Sahara · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
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Application process
- 1Register on WFN’s portal and submit the online form with this year’s logframe and budget templates by 23:59 GMT, 30 October 2026; email applications are not accepted.
- 2Arrange three referees (at least one international, none with a financial interest) whose statements reach the portal by the same deadline; this is the applicant’s responsibility.
- 3An expert panel assesses entries; its decision is final, with no appeals.
Program timeline
Application and reference deadline
30 October 2026, 23:59 GMT
Winners announced at the Whitley Awards Ceremony, London
Spring 2027