ZAA Ex Situ Conservation Award of Excellence - 2026

The conservation potential of zoos and aquariums to maintain biodiversity and protect animals through breeding programs, animal husbandry, and cooperation with other zoo facilities, represents the commitment made by Accredited Institutions. The Ex Situ Conservation Award recognizes excellence in captive care, welfare and propagation of animal species in captivity, as a hedge against extinction.

COMPLETION GUIDELINES

APPLICATION – Be as complete and descriptive as possible to improve chances for committee approval! Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Eligibility: Must be a ZAA member.

Deadline: Applications must be received at the ZAA office no later than June 30, 2026.

General information:

By submitting an application for this award, it is understood that ZAA has been given permission to reprint information for ZAA-related publications.
Multiple programs can be submitted for consideration; however, each must be submitted as a separate entry.
If you are using a pre-written (published) description of your project summary, it must be limited to one page and include the same information that is requested in the application or attach any missing information to the application.
Optional: Up to two additional attachments may be submitted in support of your application. (Example: pre-printed articles or media articles)

How to submit:

Complete the form in it's entirety.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]

Are you a ZAA Member? If not, you don't qualify to submit an awards application. Contact [email protected] for more information! *

Yes

Facility Name *

Facility size *

Small/Medium (1-19 Full Time Employees)

Large/Macro (20+ Full-Time Employees)

Name and Title of the Preparer *

Email of the preparer *

(This individual will be the contact person for communication regarding the application, any additional information needed, and the award notice if you are chosen as the winner of the award. This person has express permission to act as the point of contact for the institution.)

Phone of the preparer *

Ex Situ program title (Include title of the program as used for any media purposes) *

Species of focus in the program. (Include the focal species (common and scientific name) in the breeding success.) *

Status of focal species. (Include IUCN status of the species of focus, endangered or common.) *

Country(s) of home range represented by your breeding program animal *

Are you participating in a ZAA Animal Management Program (AMP) or husbandry manual for this species? *

SUMMARY: Be as complete and descriptive as possible to improve chances for committee approval!

Write a brief, one-page summary of the program that includes the following. (You may submit a prewritten article on your program for your summary. By doing so, you are authorizing ZAA to reprint the article. It must also include the following information, otherwise attach those answers separately from the prewritten article)

Name of the conservation area, biome, habitat, or other ecosystem pertaining to your focal species
Potential problems affecting the status of the species of concern
Your breeding programs historical background for the species in your collection
Development of advancements in husbandry and animal welfare, safety of personnel of the focal species you have made from your program operation
Address how your breeding supports the conservation of this species and deserves recognition by ZAA

Insert summary below *

Describe how you have shared your success with peers and visitors. Are you participating with ZAA in the development of a husbandry manual for the species? *

Attachments: IMPORTANT

*Required-At least four photographs ( .PNG, .jpg or .pdf format) of the program. Make sure your pictures support a complete visual representation of your program and they support the statements in your program summary.
*Required- Institution Logo ( in .PNG .pdf or .jpg) for use in Conference Slide Presentation
Optional: Up to two support documents

Photograph *

PDF, PNG, JPEG or JPG ( max 15 Files )

Facility Logo ( .PNG .pdf, or ,jpg) for use in award presentation *

PDF, PNG, JPEG or JPG ( max 5 Files )

Optional: Support Document

PDF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/CSV, JPG/JPEG, PNG, GIF ( max 10 Files )