Tracey Stewart, RSPB Scotland School Links Officer, tells us about a brand new Youth and Education Award in Scotland.

RSPB (rspb-images.com) - Practical conservation work on RSPB Mersehead ReserveThe Nature of Scotland Awards returns for a second year to celebrate excellence, innovation and outstanding achievement in Scottish nature conservation.  This year, the awards also include, for the first time, a category recognising the important work that schools or youth groups undertake to nurture and protect Scotland’s special places and iconic species.

The Youth and Education Award is open to any school or youth group who can demonstrate that they have been involved in making a real difference to protecting and conserving Scotland’s habitats and wildlife.  If you have been involved in fundraising for a conservation programme, working independently or in partnership to deliver practical conservation work, or helping to connect young people with the natural environment through outdoor learning or natural play, then this could be your chance to gain national recognition! 


The awards are free to enter, and are open now.  Entries must include a report illustrating why your project is head and shoulders above the rest, and can include up to five pieces of supporting evidence, which must be emailed to the judges.  Supporting evidence can include work from the children and young people involved in your project, and guidance for all entries is available on the Nature of Scotland Awards website.  An impressive judging panel, including Director of RSPB Scotland, Stuart Housden, and TV and radio presenter, Euan McIlwraith, will have the tough job of short-listing the award entries down to a select few, with the overall winners announced at an award ceremony and dinner to be held in October.

Connecting children and young people to nature is high on many people’s agendas, and it’s great to see an award that recognises the importance that this generation can have on Scotland’s environment, both now and in the future.  With such amazing work going on in schools and youth groups all over Scotland, I’m sure we’ll have some great entries to the awards this year, and I can’t wait to hear all about them.