Application Criteria

The following criteria must be met to be eligible to apply for the Future For Nature Awards 2026 and will be used in the selection procedure for the Awards winners.

Firstly, we would like to bring to your attention that, as of June 2025, a new criterion was introduced and will be implemented starting with the 2026 Awards cycle. It states that the candidate must have a minimum gap of one year between applications. Therefore, if you applied for the 2025 Future For Nature Award (application submission in summer 2024), you are not eligible to apply for the 2026 Future  For Nature Award.
Please note: Applicants who applied for the 2025 Future For Nature Award and for whom 2026 is the final year of eligibility due to the age criteria are allowed to apply for the 2026 Future For Nature Award. This exception only applies to the 2026 Awards cycle. 

• The Candidate:
  • Must be an individual, not an organisation, programme, or group of individuals.
  • Must be born on or after the 31st May 1990 (Maximum age of  35 years old at the FFN Award event) and before the 31st of August 2007 (minimum age of 18 years old at the time of submitting your application).
  • Has achieved substantial and long-term benefits to the conservation status of one or more wild species.
  • Has demonstrated commitment, determination, and passion for conservation work.
  • Has demonstrated leadership, entrepreneurship, and a clear view of conservation work.
  • Has been creative and innovative in their work.
  • Has demonstrated to be honourable in the conservation work performed.
  • Must be determined to continue their conservation work, as the Award aims to stimulate the winner’s future work. It is not an “end of career” prize.
  • Is able to explain their conservation work in proficient English (written and spoken).

• The Application:
  • Must be based on the ongoing conservation work of the candidate and not a project proposal. Future For Nature is a foundation that presents Awards to individual nature conservationists and is not a project funding organisation. Therefore, we do not evaluate project proposals.
  • Must be written by the applicant and reflect the work and conservation vision of the applicant in their own words. The use of AI tools is permitted for guidance only; when direct copying or pasting of AI-generated content is suspected, the application can be excluded from the selection process.

• The Award:
  • Should be used for a conservation initiative of the winner’s own choice and implemented by them.
  • Should be used for the conservation of wild species. The conservation initiative can involve a component of (fundamental) research, but this should not be the main focus. The relevance of the proposed activities to wild species conservation and the practical impact should be made clear.

Additional Remarks

• Winners will present their work at the Future For Nature Awards event at Royal Burgers’ Zoo in Arnhem, the Netherlands. The event will take place in May 2026. Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the Future For Nature Foundation.
• Future For Nature will not allow administrative deductions to be made or claimed by mother organisations.
• From all applications, 6 to 12 nominees will be shortlisted. These applicants will be required to provide additional information (which may include photos and/or video) that will be used for the selection of the three awardees.