WAZA Awards
Please click on each category to expand the list of past award recipients.
Call for nomination for the 2023 WAZA Awards has started and will end on 17 July 2023 at 23:59 PM CEST (GMT+2). WAZA Voting Members can contact membership@waza.org to get a copy of the nomination forms.
Winners will be announced at the Gala Dinner during the 78th WAZA Annual Conference.
About the Heini Hediger Award
In 1996, WAZA established its highest award for professional excellence, named the Heini Hediger Award in honour of the Swiss biologist known as the “father of zoo biology”.
Only one individual can be honoured in any given year, and since the award criteria are lofty, it is anticipated that the award might not be given out every year.
| Past recipients of the Heini Hediger Award | Year | WAZA Conference |
| Radosław Ratajszcak, Director Emeritus of Zoo Wrocław, Poland | 2022 | Tenerife |
| Simon Tonge, Executive Director Emeritus of Paignton Zoo, United Kingdom | 2021 | Virtual conference |
| Jörg Junhold, Director of Zoo Leipzig, Germany | 2020 | Virtual conference |
| Kris Vehrs, Former Executive Director of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), United States of America | 2019 | Argentina |
| Mark Reed, Former Director of Sedgwick County Zoo, United States of America | 2018 | Bangkok |
| Anna Croukamp, Founder of Parque das Aves, Brazil | 2017 | Berlin |
| Rick Barongi, Former Director at Houston Zoo, United States of America | 2016 | Puebla |
| Lena Linden, Director at Nordens Ark, Sweden | 2015 | Al Ain |
| Anne Marie Baker, Former Director at Toledo Zoo, United States of America | 2014 | India |
| Miranda Stevenson, Former Executive Director of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), United Kingdom | 2013 | USA |
| Alex Rübel, Director of Zoo Zürich, Switzerland | 2012 | Melbourne |
| Gordon McGregor Reid, Former President of WAZA | 2011 | Prague |
| Bert de Boer, National Foundation for Research in Zoological Gardens | 2010 | Cologne |
| Karen Sausman, Former Director of The Living Desert, United States of America | 2009 | St.Louis |
| Peter Dollinger, Former WAZA Executive Director | 2008 | Adelaide |
| Willie Labuschagne, Former Director of National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, South Africa | 2007 | Budapest |
| Gunther Nogge, Former Director of Cologne Zoo*, Germany | 2006 | Leipzig |
| Sally Walker, Secretary and Founder of Zoo Outreach Organisation | 2004 | Taipei |
| Roger Wheater OBE FRSE FIBiol, Former Director of Edinburgh Zoo, United Kingdom | 2001 | Perth |
| William Conway, Former President of the Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, United States of America | 1999 | Pretoria |
| Jeremy Mallinson OBE, Former Director of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey, United Kingdom | 1998 | Nagoya |
| Ulysses Seal, President Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of IUCN-SSC | 1996 | Denver |
| George Rabb, Former President of Brookfield Zoo, United States of America | 1996 | Denver |
About the WAZA Conservation Award
In 2016, WAZA established its highest award for institutional commitment towards conservation, named the WAZA Conservation Award.
This award is granted to an institution for an outstanding, comprehensive specific conservation programme that has clear objectives and excellent conservation outcomes.
| Past recipients of the WAZA Conservation Award | Year | WAZA Conference |
| Saint Louis Zoo, United States of America WildCare Institute Center for Avian Health in the Galapagos Islands Programme | 2022 | Tenerife |
| Prague Zoo, Czech Republic | 2021 | Virtual conference |
| Georgia Aquarium, United States of America | 2020 | Virtual conference |
| Zoo Zürich, Switzerland | 2019 | Buenos Aires |
| Taronga Zoo, Australia | 2018 | Bangkok |
| Monterey Bay Aquarium, United States of America | 2017 | Berlin |
| Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, United Kingdom | 2016 | Puebla |
About the WAZA Environmental Sustainability Award
In 2018, WAZA established its highest award for institutional commitment towards environmental sustainability, named the WAZA Environmental Sustainability Award.
This award is granted to an institution for outstanding, comprehensive environmental sustainability initiatives that advances its commitment and efforts towards environmental sustainability.
| Past recipients of the WAZA Environmental Sustainability Award | Year | WAZA Conference |
| Marwell Wildlife, United Kingdom | 2022 | Tenerife |
| North Carolina Zoo, United States of America | 2021 | Virtual conference |
| Detroit Zoological Society, United States of America | 2020 | Virtual conference |
| Taronga Zoo, Australia | 2019 | Buenos Aires |
| Wellington Zoo, New Zealand | 2018 | Bangkok |
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the global alliance of regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums, dedicated to the care and conservation of animals and their habitats around the world.
