EMERGING CONSERVATIONIST AWARD

The Indianapolis Prize – a significant conservation initiative of the Indianapolis Zoological Society Inc. – created a new award recognizing conservationists early in their careers. The Indianapolis Prize – the world’s leading award for animal conservation – is a biennial award recognizing an individual who has made extraordinary contributions to wildlife conservation. The Indianapolis Prize also awards the Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award, an honor bestowed to someone who has lent their influential and effective voice for conservation. The Emerging Conservationist Award is an exciting new addition to the Indianapolis Prize Program. The Emerging Conservationist award – made possible through a grant from the Kobé Foundation – is a biennial award recognizing conservationists under 40 years of age with the talent and drive to make a significant impact on saving an animal species or group of species. Established to help support their work, the Emerging Conservationist Award aims to encourage the courageous, talented and dedicated people who devote themselves to protecting Earth’s wild things and wild places. Along with a cash award, the prize winner is given a bespoke artwork.

The art piece awarded to the Emerging Conservationist was created by Margaret Jacobs. This work speaks to conservation via its relationship to global interconnectivity and reflects on the need to prioritize the relationship between land and humans, and to think of the earth and all its inhabitants as our relations, not resources.

The overall circular shape of the piece alludes to both a glove and the interconnectedness of life on earth. The four main elements – land, wind, fire and water – along with an image of the North Star make up the visual imagery that encircles the overall object. The elements serve as a reminder to think of the earth and all its inhabitants as our relations, not resources that can be extracted for money or power. The overall concept comes from a common philosophy within the Indigenous communities and as a Haudenosaunee person.

The North Star speaks to how stars help humans navigate through life on Earth, both practically and philosophically. We use them to navigate and guide our journey, we wish on them and they populate stories, globally. Stars remind us of the interconnectedness of life on earth and that we are one small part of the global community.