NBN Trust Launches 2025 Awards for Wildlife Recording
The National Biodiversity Network Trust (NBN Trust) is proud to announce the launch of the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording 2025. This annual event recognizes and celebrates the individuals and wildlife groups who tirelessly work to improve our understanding of the natural world and enable evidence-based decision making for the conservation of UK wildlife.
Nominations for the 2025 Awards will open on January 9th and close on April 21st. The NBN Trust is seeking to honor those who have made significant contributions to wildlife recording, such as increasing the number of records submitted, organizing successful BioBlitz events, and using innovative techniques to gather data. The seven categories of awards include the NBN Lifetime Achievement Award, NBN Verifier’s Award, NBN Young Person’s Award, NBN Newcomer Award, NBN Award for Marine Wildlife Recording, NBN Award for Terrestrial Wildlife Recording, and the NBN Group Award.
Nominating someone for an award is simple and can even be done by individuals or groups themselves. To nominate, visit bit.ly/NBNawards25 and complete the appropriate nomination form online. Alternatively, they can email the completed MS Word document to support@nbn.org.uk by April 21st, 2025.
The NBN Trust is grateful to seven organizations for their generous support of the 2025 Awards. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is sponsoring the prizes for the NBN Lifetime Achievement Award and the NBN Verifier’s Award, while Opticron is sponsoring the NBN Young Person’s Award and the NBN Newcomer Award. Habitat Aid is sponsoring the NBN Award for Marine Wildlife Recording, the NBN Award for Terrestrial Wildlife Recording, and the NBN Group Award. Field Studies Council is sponsoring the prize for the NBN Group Award, while William Collins is sponsoring the NBN Young Person’s Award, NBN Newcomer Award, NBN Award for Marine Wildlife Recording, and NBN Award for Terrestrial Wildlife Recording. British Wildlife magazine is sponsoring the NBN Newcomer Award, and Natural History Book Service (NHBS) is sponsoring the NBN Young Person’s Award.
Lisa Chilton, CEO of the National Biodiversity Network Trust, emphasizes the importance of recording wildlife data, stating, “It has never been more important to be recording the wildlife around us, so that we can conserve it better. The wildlife data we collect are essential for guiding and measuring nature’s recovery.” She urges everyone to nominate inspirational wildlife recorders for the 2025 NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording.
For more information, please contact Purba Choudhury, NBN Trust Communications Officer, via p.choudhury@nbn.org.uk or on 0115-850 0172.
Notes to Editors:
National Biodiversity Network Trust
As a small charity with a big plan, the National Biodiversity Network Trust has been making wildlife data accessible for over 20 years. They manage the NBN Atlas, the UK’s largest repository of publicly available biodiversity data, which holds around 300 million records of over 50,000 species. Additionally, they manage iNaturalistUK and support the National Biodiversity Network, a collaboration of 200 organizations committed to sharing UK wildlife data through the NBN Atlas.
The Network includes well-known organizations such as the RSPB, National Trust, Butterfly Conservation, and Woodland Trust, as well as lesser-known groups like the Longhorn Beetle Recording Scheme, Riverfly Partnership, and Outer Hebrides Recording Group. The common thread among all members is their desire for high-quality wildlife data to support environmental decision-making. Members share their biodiversity data through the NBN Atlas.
2. By “wildlife recording,” the NBN Trust means surveying wildlife in one’s local area and submitting records to a local or national wildlife organization or relevant app.
3. Rules of the Awards
Anyone, including non-members of the National Biodiversity Network Trust, can make nominations, including self-nominations.
Individuals, groups, or organizations can be nominated for awards.
The NBN Awards committee, chaired by the NBN Trust’s Communications and Engagement Manager, will select the winners each year.
Nominations open on January 9th, 2025, and close on April 21st, 2025.
The short-listed nominees in each award category will be announced in the autumn, and the winners will be revealed at the National Biodiversity Network’s annual conference in November.
Information about the winners of the 2024 NBN Awards is available on the NBN Trust website.
4. Background of the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording
The NBN Trust, in partnership with the Biological Records Centre and the National Forum for Biological Recording, established this national award scheme in 2015. Originally called
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