Finalists named for 2025 Indianapolis Prize
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The Indianapolis Zoological Society Inc. on Wednesday unveiled the six DeHann Finalists for the Indianapolis Prize, billed as the world’s leading award for animal conservation.
The biennial award, the winner for which will be announced in May, recognizes conservationists who “have achieved major victories in saving an animal species or group of species.”
The finalists, each of whom will receive a $50,000 award to continue their efforts, were selected from a group of 44 nominees.
“These six extraordinary conservationists have achieved tangible results in safeguarding threatened species across the globe,” Indianapolis Zoological Society CEO Rob Shumaker said in a news release. “Through the Indianapolis Prize, we are proud to shine a light on these conservation heroes whose work gives us hope for the future of our planet’s vulnerable species.”
The winner of the Indianapolis Prizes earns $250,000 and will receive the award during the Indianapolis Prize Gala on Sept. 27.
The 2025 Indianapolis Prize finalists are:
Alberto Alves Campos (Aquasis, Brazil, and University of British Columbia, Canada): Conservation biologist serving as a founder of Aquasis, a non-profit organization promoting endangered species and habitat conservation in Brazil. Campos helped improve the conservation status of the Antillean manatee in Brazil and created a Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network site for the wintering grounds of the endangered Red knot.
Lisa Dabek, Ph.D. (Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program, Papua New Guinea, and Woodland Park Zoo, USA): Creator of the first conservation area in Papua New Guinea focused on tree kangaroos. Dr. Dabek is the founder of the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program where she works with local indigenous communities and regional governments to establish long-term conservation plans for the species.
Biruté Mary Galdikas, Ph.D. (Orangutan Foundation International, USA): Orangutan researcher who first documented the long orangutan birth interval and recorded more than 400 types of food consumed by orangutans. As president and co-founder of Orangutan Foundation International, Dr. Galdikas has contributed to the release of more than 500 rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild and provided unprecedented detail about orangutan ecology. Galdikas was named an Indianapolis Prize DeHaan Finalist in 2023.
Julie Packard (Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA): International leader in ocean conservation, Packard strives to protect marine species and ecosystems. She has led the charge for the sustainable seafood movement by building a global seafood program grounded in ecosystem-based science and a market-based approach. As the founding executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Packard is a leading voice for science-based policy reform in support of a healthy ocean.
Lily-Arison René de Roland, Ph.D. (The Peregrine Fund, Madagascar): Revolutionizing conservation in Madagascar, Dr. René de Roland has contributed to the establishment of five national protected areas totaling 1,550 square miles. Serving as The Peregrine Fund’s national director of its Madagascar Program, René de Roland has helped discover several new species, including the Madagascar pochard duck, lemur species and a wolf spider. His community-based models alleviate human-wildlife conflicts and allow the conservation of Madagascar’s threatened animal species.
Lee James Taylor White, Ph.D. (Institute for Tropical Ecology Research, Gabon, and University of Stirling, Scotland): Working as a field biologist and conservationist for 40 years, Dr. White’s research focuses on the critically endangered African forest elephant and its keystone ecological role in the countries of the Congo Basin. White has directed extensive population assessments, combated habitat loss, created a network of 13 national parks in Gabon and founded new collaborations, thus protecting half of the world’s forest elephants.
The previous Indianapolis Prize winner was Pablo Borboroglu, founder and president of the Global Penguin Society, which the zoo said has protected 32 million acres of penguin marine and terrestrial habitat.
The Indianapolis Zoological Society is also expected to announce the winners of the Emerging Conservationist Award and the Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award in the coming months. Those honorees will also receive their awards at the Indianapolis Prize Gala in September.