If you are interested in applying for any of our Awards, we recommend that you first review some of Our Winners and their projects to get a better idea of what we fund, and then read the information on applying below. Good Luck!

Applying for a Whitley Award

The number of Whitley Awards available, and the name of the Award, varies annually depending on sponsorship. However, this does not alter the application process on an annual basis. Each year, the winner of each award is selected from among the best applications. Applicants therefore do not need to specify which award they would like to be considered for, as they will automatically be considered for every award.

The next deadline for the Whitley Awards is Friday 31st October 2008.  Please ensure you apply in good time to meet the deadline.

Please follow five easy steps to apply:

1. Check your eligibility
The Whitley Awards are open to all, and applicants do not need to be nominated. Conservationists working anywhere in the world are welcome to apply, although there is a strong bias towards nationals working in their own countries and for projects based outside the developed world. We judge each application on its own merits, however, there are a number of things the Whitley Award Judging Panel are looking for in a good application. Please refer to the eligibility section of the FAQs.  Many of the answers to your questions can be found here, and we strongly suggest you read the FAQs. However, if you still have a query after reading the information available on this website, please contact the WFN office.

2. Download a form
Once you have decided to apply, simply download the Application form AND the Guidance notes from the following webpage:

Click here to download Application Form and Guidance Notes.

Please note that you MUST use a form intended for the year for which you are applying, as it is changed on an annual basis.  The application form you can download from this website will always be the correct one for the next deadline, however, we have noticed some applicants save and re-use old forms from previous years.  Applications made on out-of-date forms from previous years will not be considered.

3. Contact your three referees
You need to arrange for three referee statements to be submitted in support of your application. Guidance on what is required of referees can be found at the back of the Whitley Award Application Form. Send referees a copy of your completed application, along with this referee guidance information. Referees then need to email completed references to info@whitleyaward.org.

As with your application form, we would prefer to receive information as an attached Microsoft Word document. The subject line of the email should include the applicant's surname, followed by the referee’s surname. Ideally, all references will contain a scanned referee signature and headed paper. Please note that we often check references. Forgeries will be easily identifiable and will be followed by immediate rejection of the whole application with a lifetime bar on reapplication.

4. Submit your application
Email submission is a requirement. All applications need to be received electronically (not via post) and should be emailed to info@whitleyaward.org (see Guidance Notes for applicants for further informdation).  Do not forget to attach your photos too!

We will accept application materials in formats other than email only in exceptional circumstances. If email submission is not possible, please contact the WFN office.

5. Your application is complete!
However, please note that no application is fully complete without the receipt of three reference statements, and these references must reach us by the deadline. If an email facility is not accessible, then references may be posted, but we regret we cannot accept late references which reach us after the deadline, and incomplete applications will not be considered. Due to the volume of applications, we regret that we are not able to chase your referees.

Shortlisted candidates for the Whitley Awards will be notified by March.  Close contact is required in April to ensure we have all the materials we need for your involvement in the Whitley Award week as a finalist.  The finalists are then invited to London for interview in May. The Awards are presented at a prestigious ceremony later that week.  Please note that decisions on grants are not made until after the interview and being selected as a finalist does not mean you will necessarily receive a grant.

A note on Reporting

Should you be successful in recieving funds from WFN, you will be required to provide us with a report, completed by using our Reporting Form, to document your progress. This needs to be completed 12 months after the receipt of your Award or Grant. If you are a Whitley Award Winner, then an outstanding report could lead to you being eligible to apply for Continuation Funding, which is open to previous Whitley Award winners only.  For more about Continuation Funding, please see 'Applying for Continuation Funding' below.

Download a Reporting Form.

Applying for The Whitley Gold Award

There is no separate application form for the Gold Award, as the winner is selected annually from recipients of the Whitley Awards, whose work and objectives most impress the Judging Panel each year.

Applying for Continuation Funding

Applications for Continuation Funding (which is available to previous Whitley Award winners only) will be considered only once a full report has been received (see 'A note on Reporting’, above).

Once you have submitted your report, if you are interested in applying for Continuation Funding, please e-mail the WFN office at info@whitleyaward.org in the first instance. We will then discuss your suitability for Continuation Funding in light of the report you have submitted. If you are eligible, a Continuation Funding Application Form will be sent out for you to complete. This form is not downloadable from the website.

All applications for Continuation Funding should refer to the original support given by WFN and explain why further funding is sought. As with applications for the Whitley Awards, three referee statements are required. References may be from referees you have used before, but the statements must all be new, and should refer to your suitability and need for Continuation Funding. Applicants may apply for up to £90,000 for their project, though most Continuation Funding Awards are £30,000 each.

Applications for Continuation Funding are considered bi-annually.  The two deadlines are the end of October and the end of April each year.