Nature of Scotland Award categories
The Nature of Scotland Awards 2026 are open for entries until 26 May
The awards are open to everyone from across Scotland including businesses, public sector organisations, NGOs, young people, research institutions, community groups, individuals, and farmers who have been active in nature conservation across Scotland since March 2023. Previously shortlisted entrants can apply again but they must showcase what they have achieved since their last application. You can enter your own work or submit an application nominating another person or partnership. Please note that this year we are looking to celebrate individual young people’s contribution through our Young Champion for Nature Award rather than schools and youth groups. We will bring back our Youth Action category celebrating the collective effort of young people in future years.
Our judges are excited to review your applications. They will select the shortlists for each category and decide the winners, with one exception: the Community Initiative Award, which will be decided by a public vote.
We have 10 awards to choose from. You are welcome to enter more than one category; we just need each entry to be specifically tailored to the award details below.
Here’s how to take part – it’s easy:
- Find out more about our award categories below (and for further information read our terms and conditions)
- Download the practice form (using the blue button) and prepare your answers
- Source your 3 high-res illustrative images and any film you want to share
- You are now ready to enter – complete the application form (using the green button)
For all enquiries, please contact us at awards@rspb.org.uk, we are here to help with any questions you might have.
Business for Nature Award
Businesses have a critical role to play in fighting the nature and climate emergencies. We want to recognise those who can demonstrate a whole business approach to helping nature in Scotland.
As a business, the decisions you make can have a positive impact for Scotland’s habitats and wildlife – business can benefit nature. This award celebrates companies which grasp the opportunity with both hands and go beyond token gestures towards saving nature. We want to hear from businesses in all sectors and of all sizes – from the small businesses using their knowledge of local wildlife to the sector leaders – making real changes for nature.
Tell us what you've achieved for nature, and how this fitted with your corporate objectives. We’re looking for evidence of nature having truly benefitted, not just offsetting. Explain how your business has taken steps to tackle biodiversity loss, actively reduced its environmental footprint or gone above and beyond normal business practice to benefit nature. Applications will be judged based on the impact achieved in proportion to the size of business and available resource.
Coasts and Waters Award
From leaping Salmon and playful Otters, to industrious Beavers and internationally important seabirds, Scotland’s seas, lochs and rivers are home to some of our most iconic animals. And beneath the surface our waters teem with lesser known, but no less important species, including deepwater corals, colourful anemones and even Basking Sharks. But many of these special species are under threat and need our help.
That’s why we want to hear from you if you’re involved with research, partnerships or schemes that help support or protect nature in Scottish waters, whether marine or freshwater. Apply now so your project can get the recognition it deserves.
This award celebrates the outstanding contributions that are helping restore nature and letting it thrive in Scottish marine and freshwater habitats. Whether it’s an innovative project that has had real impact or someone who is connecting people with marine or freshwater habitats, we want to hear from you.
Community Initiative Award
Whether they offer a peaceful spot to relax or somewhere for the kids to let off steam, green spaces can play a really important part in the lives of people local to them. But all too often nature is being pushed out of our neighbourhoods. This award will go to an outstanding community-based initiative that has taken clear, positive steps to make wildlife welcome. The project should be developed and led by the people it serves, acting as an inspiration to others and offering real value to the whole community.
If your community has united to take action for nature in your local area, we encourage you to share your story. Tell us all about how you brought your community together, developed innovative ideas and made a positive impact both for nature and local people.
Farming with Nature Award
The way we produce food, both here in Scotland and across the world, has a huge impact on nature. Evidence shows that the loss of traditional farming practices and the move towards more intensive ways of producing food has led to a decline in wildlife, as well as higher greenhouse gas emissions. Since agriculture covers around 70% of the land in Scotland, the way we farm can transform the fortunes of nature for better or worse. By switching to a more nature-friendly approach, farming can help to reverse the declines in wildlife and protect the life-support systems we all rely on, like clean air and water.
Scotland’s farmers and crofters have a crucial role to play, not only in producing food but also in protecting our climate, soils and wildlife. If you’re a land manager, or work for a business or organisation that’s doing things differently, the Farming with Nature Award is for you. By applying for this award, you’ll be able to highlight your efforts to support nature and the climate within a profitable farming business. Remember to let us know what nature- and climate-friendly practices you’ve adopted to reduce your environmental impact.
Health and Wellbeing Award
Nature is vital for our wellbeing. Connecting to nature has been shown to improve mood, reduce feelings of stress, help people to feel more relaxed and improve physical health too. Developing this connection and experiencing the health benefits it brings can blossom into a life-long love of nature and spur people into taking action to protect the natural world.
This award celebrates initiatives that encourage people to engage with nature for their mental and/or physical health and promote this important reciprocal relationship with nature. We welcome entries from individuals, communities or organisations whose work can demonstrate both the positive impact of nature on human health and how this inspires people to take more action for nature and the planet.
In particular, we’re keen to hear about projects that focus on inclusion and reach people who face additional barriers to engaging with nature, whether that’s through digital projects or outdoor adventure schemes. We're also looking for entrants to show how they've involved beneficiaries, local people and communities in developing and overseeing the work.
Innovation Award
Nature is in crisis: one in nine species in Scotland are at risk of national extinction, and we are running out of time to save them. Now is the moment for trailblazers to step up and channel their skills to turn the tide in nature’s favour.
Have you pioneered a first-of-its-kind project focused on saving nature? Did you take a new approach to conservation? Has your initiative or partnership broken new ground in the fight to protect habitats? If so, you’re just what we’re looking for!
This award is a salute to the innovators on nature’s side. Whether you’re involved in a campaign, study, habitat restoration project or other initiative, take pride in being different from the rest and make sure you get your application in. We want to celebrate and champion innovators so they can inspire others to protect Scottish nature.
Nature and Climate Action Award
The climate crisis isn’t a far-off, future problem – we’re seeing and feeling its effects already and it poses the single greatest threat to nature. Yet nature can be a key ally in our fight against climate change.
This award focuses on “nature-based solutions” that help us reduce emissions and adapt to climate change whilst also restoring biodiversity. If they are restored and managed positively for nature, some habitats and landscapes, such as peatlands, woodlands, saltmarshes and even urban greenspaces, can lock away vast quantities of carbon and increase our resilience to the extreme weather events that are set to become more common.
We’re looking for individuals, projects or organisations who are harnessing the power of nature to tackle or adapt to climate change. It could be through harnessing innovative technology, research or a restoration project.
Nature Tourism Award
Tourism offers people the opportunity to discover the awe-inspiring beauty of nature and to experience unforgettable encounters with wildlife.
This award seeks to recognise tourism businesses and initiatives that are going beyond simply reducing their negative impact on the environment and are making a positive difference for nature. Whatever the size of your business, we want to hear from you if you are a champion of responsible tourism, if you are supporting Scotland develop as a sustainable destination and have implemented nature-based solutions that protect, restore or create thriving natural habitats.
Projects can be achieved by a single business or in collaboration with other sector or community partners. All applications will be judged based on what you’ve achieved in relation to the size and scale of your business. Smaller initiatives might involve growing pollinator-friendly plants, for example, while larger ones might be supporting the restoration of some of Scotland’s iconic habitats. Whatever the scale of your project, we’re keen to find out how you’re taking action for nature.
Outstanding Contribution Award
Scotland’s nature depends on dedicated individuals who go the extra mile to protect it. The Outstanding Contribution Award celebrates an exceptional person making a lasting impact - whether by conserving species, restoring vital habitats, or leading powerful campaigns for change.
This award is open to those taking practical action on the ground, as well as those advocating for nature through research, policy, or public engagement. We welcome applications from individuals themselves and nominations from supporters who want to ensure their efforts don’t go unrecognised.
Do you know someone whose dedication has transformed the fortunes of Scotland’s wildlife? Or are you that person working tirelessly behind the scenes? Tell us how they (or you) have made a real difference - whether through hands-on conservation, habitat restoration, or inspiring others to act. Help us celebrate those shaping a brighter future for Scotland’s natural world.
Young Champion for Nature Award
This award celebrates the next generation of nature champions by recognising an exceptional young person (aged 14 - 25) who has made a significant impact for Scotland’s wildlife, land or seas. Whether through innovative projects, impactful social media campaigns, or hands-on conservation work, this category shines a spotlight on those individuals who are driving positive change and demonstrating leadership at an early stage.
We are looking for someone whose passion and commitment have delivered a tangible impact for wildlife and/or habitats and whose actions inspire others to get involved. The Young Champion for Nature Award celebrates the energy, creativity, and determination of Scotland’s younger citizens in shaping a sustainable future for nature. If you know a young person who is making a real difference, this is your chance to help them gain the recognition they deserve. We also welcome applications directly from young people themselves.