Prize Program Celebrates Expansion with New Emerging
Conservationists Award
INDIANAPOLIS, Sept. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Indianapolis
Prize – the world's leading award for animal conservation
–celebrated the world's preeminent animal conservationists at the
Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc.
Dr. Amanda Vincent, the 2021
recipient and eighth Winner of the Prize, which is awarded
biennially by the Indianapolis Zoological Society, received a
$250,000 grant – the largest
unrestricted monetary award given for the successful conservation
of endangered or threatened species. Ocean conservationist and the
Sovereign Prince of Monaco His
Serene Highness Prince Albert II received the 2021 Jane Alexander
Global Wildlife Ambassador Award.
"On this night, we celebrate the victories of the world's
leading conservationists whose work to save species has an
undeniable impact for our planet's wild things and wild places,"
said Dr. Rob Shumaker, President
& CEO of the Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc. "It is an
honor to recognize these heroes and hope their stories will inspire
action to protect our planet and all who inhabit it."
Dr. Vincent is a professor at the Institute for the Oceans and
Fisheries at The University of British
Columbia, where she directs Project Seahorse. Vincent is
credited as being the first biologist to study seahorses in the
wild, document their extensive trade and establish a project for
seahorse conservation.
Vincent has dedicated her career to advocating for seahorses and
is credited with bringing the world's attention to the 44 known
species of seahorses and developing an effective approach for their
conservation. With a relentless dedication to conservation, Vincent
generated 35 marine protected areas – dedicated areas of the ocean
where fishing is not permitted – where the populations of seahorses
and other marine life are thriving.
"It is a great honor to be named the 2021 Indianapolis Prize
Winner. This prestigious global award allows me to advocate for
vastly more attention to the ocean – which accounts for 99 percent
of the living space on Earth – and all the species on which the
marine ecosystem depends. Through the perspective of seahorses, we
have inspired many, many people globally to safeguard ocean life.
The Indianapolis Prize now gives us an even bigger platform to
invite and empower people to take meaningful conservation
action."
Vincent was selected from a group of six Finalists by a Jury
comprised of distinguished scientists and conservation leaders. The
Finalists are: Dr. Christophe Boesch
(Wild Chimpanzee Foundation); Dr. P. Dee
Boersma (University of
Washington and Center for Ecosystem Sentinels); Dr.
Sylvia Earle (Mission Blue and Deep
Ocean Exploration and Research); Dr. Gerardo Ceballos (Institute of Ecology of the
National Autonomous University of
Mexico); and Dr. John
Robinson (Wildlife Conservation Society). Each Finalist
received $10,000.
At the Gala, HSH Prince Albert II was honored with the Jane
Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award for his dedication to
preserving the world's oceans. Accepting the award on His Serene
Highness' behalf was the president of the Prince Albert II of
Monaco Foundation, John B. Kelly
II.
"I am extremely honored to be receiving such an important award,
a truly significant one in the field of animal conservation," said
HSH Prince Albert II. "Please allow
me to take this award as an additional encouragement to pursue my
action and stick to my convictions. It will help me keep on my
commitments and my contributions to the preservation of the oceans,
the conservation of coral reefs and marine protected areas, and
strive to protect endangered marine species."
An exciting new initiative of the Indianapolis Prize program was
also announced during the evenings program. The Emerging
Conservationist Award – made possible through a grant from the
Sidekick Foundation – is a biennial award recognizing
conservationists under 40 years of age who are beginning to make
significant strides in saving an animal species or group of
species. Nominations for this award will be accepted on
Sept. 27, 2021 through Feb. 25, 2022. The inaugural Emerging
Conservationist Award will be presented at the 2023
Indianapolis Prize Gala in downtown Indianapolis. To learn more about this
exciting new award visit
IndianapolisPrize.org/emergingconservationist.
The Indianapolis Prize Gala was hosted by NBC News' chief
environmental affairs correspondent Anne
Thompson and ocean activist and science communicator,
Danni Washington. The Gala puts an
international spotlight on the conservation heroes who share their
stories and inspire audience members to Take a Step for
species survival.
A History of Indianapolis Prize Winners
The
Indianapolis Prize was first awarded in 2006 to Dr. George Archibald, the co-founder of the
International Crane Foundation. The 2008 Winner was George Schaller, Ph.D., known as one of the
founding fathers of wildlife conservation, and both a senior
conservationist for the Wildlife Conservation Society and vice
president for Panthera. In 2010, Iain
Douglas Hamilton, Ph.D., founder of Save the Elephants,
received the Prize for his pioneering research in elephant social
behavior and for leading the way in the fight against the poaching
of African elephants. Steven
Amstrup, Ph.D., chief scientist for Polar Bears
International, received the 2012 Prize for his work on the world's
largest land carnivore. In 2014, Dr. Patricia C. Wright, founder of Centre ValBio,
became the first woman awarded the Indianapolis Prize for her
dedication to saving Madagascar's
famed lemurs from extinction. Dr. Carl
Jones received the 2016 Indianapolis Prize for his species
recovery success on the island of Mauritius, including the echo parakeet, pink
pigeon and Mauritius kestrel.
Russ Mittermeier, Ph.D., Chief
Conservation Officer of Re:wild earned the 2018 Prize for
championing the concept of biodiversity hotspots and protecting the
endemic species relying on those critical habitats. Dr.
Amanda Vincent, co-founder of
Project Seahorse and professor at the Institute for the Oceans and
Fisheries at The University of British
Columbia became the first marine conservationist to win the
Prize in 2021 for her work on seahorse ecology and
conservation.
ABOUT THE INDIANAPOLIS
PRIZE
The Indianapolis Prize recognizes and rewards
conservationists who have achieved major victories in advancing the
sustainability of an animal species or group of species. Winners
receive an unrestricted $250,000
award. Remaining Finalists each receive $10,000. Since 2006, the Indianapolis Prize has
administered more than $1.3 million
in unrestricted cash awards. The Indianapolis Prize is a signature
conservation initiative of the Indianapolis Zoological Society,
Inc.
MEDIA NOTE
Photos and video from the VIP reception
will be available via this link by 9 pm
ET. Other images that accompany this story are
available for download on the Indianapolis Prize website here.
Connect with the Prize on Facebook and Twitter.