The awards have been held annually since 2012 and serve to recognise those individuals and organisations that have made an effort to protect Africa's rhino population.
Categories for the awards include Best Field Ranger, Best Conservation Practitioner, Best Political and Judicial Support, Best Science Research and Technology, and Best Awareness, Education or Funding. The additional Special Youths category honours youngsters that have taken action against poaching.
"We want to celebrate the individuals and organisations that are assisting us in highlighting the plight of the rhino, increasing the capture and prosecution of poachers, reducing the demand for rhino horn and protecting a species from extinction," Dr Larry Hansen, founder of the awards, said.
The awards ceremony will take place on 27 July and will be held in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Game Rangers' Association of Africa (GRAA) - a non-profit organisation with a membership of over 1,500 across Africa, many of whom are rangers active in anti-poaching activities.
Prince Albert II of Monaco serves as the patron of the Rhino Conservation Initiative and the Rhino Conservation Awards, being committed to the protection of species dangerously close to extinction, through the support of his Foundation to various preservation projects. Prince Albert will be attending the 2015 awards ceremony and will deliver the keynote address.
Nominations can be made by and/or on behalf of any person or organisation that has played a part in rhino conservation, on any scale. Nomination forms can be requested from Janyce Dalziel at az.oc.stnevetnirruc@ecynaj, or downloaded from www.gameranger.org.
The www.rhinoawards.org website will go live shortly, where nomination forms will also be available. Once nominations are closed on 1 June 2015, an executive committee will review all nominations and draw up a short-list for the winners to be chosen from. A panel of adjudicators will then identify the winners and runners-up in each category.
The sponsors of the awards are Carl Zeiss Sports Optics GmbH of the ZEISS Group, and Xiaoyang Yu, founder partner of China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI).
"Nature conservation is a global issue and it is about the protection of species and their local habitats. Nature conservation is run and organised by dedicated, dynamic people," says Dr Winfried Scherle, chief executive officer of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. "It is essential that these conservation heroes are recognised for their efforts, their sacrifices and their dedication to protecting the rhino."
