| A Message from Mike Crowther, President and CEO, Indianapolis Zoo
 If we are lucky, each of is given a few rare opportunities to be a part of something truly significant, something that has the potential to alter the course of the future. Not counting my family and the delight and terror of watching my beautiful daughters turn into amazing women, it has been my great privilege to be a part of the Indianapolis Prize. I believe that the continued growth of the Prize, thanks to the generous support from our community, will ensure that someday my daughters’ children will live in a world with tigers, snow leopards and polar bears still in it. I am very excited to report that the support from our donors, sponsors and the Board of Trustees has allowed us to significantly increase the monetary award that goes with the Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation.
Beginning with the 2014 Prize, the winner will receive an unrestricted grant of $250,000, up from the previous Prize award of $100,000. In addition, each of the other five finalists will receive $10,000.
 The chair of Indianapolis Prize Executive Committee, Myrta Pulliam, put it best when she said, “This increase in the money will reap huge dividends in actually saving species. Increasing the Prize to a quarter of a million dollars is the natural result of the success the Indianapolis Prize has experienced over the past several years. Because the money is unrestricted, the Prize winners have been able to invest the funds in ways that make the most sense to them and who better to know how to get the greatest impact than the men and women who have dedicated their lives to animal conservation.” Each of the first four recipients of the Indianapolis Prize has used the funds differently, but each in his own way has re-invested the money in the conservation mission about which they are truly passionate. This increased prize award is significant, particularly in this field of endeavor, and it will make a real difference to the person who receives it.
It is also gratifying to be able to offer support to all the finalists. Every two years it simply astounds us how diverse the nominees and finalists are for each Indianapolis Prize. They represent the best science being done anywhere in the world on projects ranging from tiny butterflies to giant whales. These additional monetary awards will compound the impact we are able make on the ultimate survivability of a multitude of endangered species.
For information on nominating a deserving conservationist for the Indianapolis Prize, call Amy Kerrick at (317) 630-2710, or email nomination@indianapolisprize.org requesting an application form! Nominations are due Feb. 28, 2013. |