biology

Indianapolis Prize

Indianapolis Prize is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Indianapolis Prize rather than just read about it. In short: The Indianapolis Prize is a biennial prize awarded by the Indianapolis Zoo to individuals for "extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts" affecting one or more animal species. Overview The Indianapolis Prize was established by the Indianapolis Zoo to recognize and reward individuals who have achieved significant successes in the conservation of animal species.

Key takeaways

Indianapolis Prize belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Indianapolis Prize to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Indianapolis Prize from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Indianapolis Prize is a biennial prize awarded by the Indianapolis Zoo to individuals for "extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts" affecting one or more animal species.

Overview The Indianapolis Prize was established by the Indianapolis Zoo to recognize and reward individuals who have achieved significant successes in the conservation of animal species. Every two years, nominations of deserving individuals for the Indianapolis Prize are accepted. From those nominations, a group of conservation experts from around the world select six finalists. A second group of conservation experts, aided by representatives from the Indianapolis Zoo and the city of Indianapolis, serve as jurors to review the work of the six finalists and select the winner. From 2006 through 2012, winners received an unrestricted cash award of US$100,000, which was increased to US$250,000 for 2014 and subsequent years. In addition, beginning in 2023, the five other finalists each receive a US$50,000 unrestricted cash award. Many renowned conservationists and scientists have served on the nominating committee and jury, including E.O. Wilson, John Terborgh, Peter Raven, and Stuart Pimm. New nominating committee and jury members are chosen each two-year prize cycle. The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation provides funding for the prize. In addition to the US$250,000 award, the winner also receives the Lilly Medal. The obverse of the Lilly Medal features a shepherd surrounded by nature and the rising sun. On the reverse is inscribed a quote from naturalist John Muir, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe."

Indianapolis Prize Gala The winner and finalists are celebrated at the Indianapolis Prize Gala held in downtown Indianapolis. It is designed to inspire guests to care more about animal conservation and place these dedicated heroes on the pedestal usually reserved for sports and entertainment stars.

Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award Additionally, the Indianapolis Prize created the Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award to recognize advocacy, outreach, and contributions of public figures who use their platform to support the natural world. The award is named in honor of actor and conservationist Jane Alexander, winners of the Ambassador award lend a credible public voice for the sustainability of wildlife. The inaugural Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award was presented to its namesake in recognition of her decades-long commitment as a voice and champion for species. She has been involved with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Audubon Society, and Panthera. 2016 Winner Sigourney Weaver has been an advocate for the mountain gorillas of Rwanda since her starring role in the 1988 film Gorillas in the Mist and serves as honorary chair of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. In 2018, Harrison Ford received the honor for his support of Conservation International, where he is on the Executive Committee and active in the organization's design and growth. He gave voice to the Nature Is Speaking film The Ocean and helped secure the protection of more than forty million acres (16,000,000 ha) on three continents as part of the Global Conservation Fund. In 2021, ocean conservationist and philanthropist Prince Albert II of Monaco received the honor for his dedication to protecting the world's oceans; he established the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in 2006 to address the planet's alarming environmental situation. Under his leadership, Monaco is the official proponent for action by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) on behalf of seahorses – a flagship species that is indicative of ocean health. Wildlife photographer Joel Sartore received the award in 2023 for his portrait photography of at-risk species. Sartore and National Geographic founded the Photo Ark project in 2006 to inspire people to protect threatened and endangered species through documentary photography and videos.

Emerging Conservationist Award In 2022, the Indianapolis Prize Committee created a new award recognizing conservationists early in their careers and under the age of 40 years of age with the drive to make a significant impact on a species or group of species. The goal of the award is to encourage talented individuals who dedicate their lives and careers to saving species. Similarly to the Indianapolis Prize Award, the Emerging Conservationist is chosen through a two-stage selection process. The Winner receives a US$50,000 award to further their conservation work. In 2023, Peruvian primatologist and anthropologist, Fanny M. Cornejo was named the inaugural Winner of the Emerging Conservationist Award for her work dedicated to the conservation and research of the yellow-tailed woolly monkey. She also serves as Executive Director of Yunkawasi, an organization that works with Amazonian and Andean communities for the conservation of threatened species through sustainable economic development and a protected area management approach. In 2025, Mwezi Badru Mugerwa, received the honor for his work to conserve the African golden cat.

Indianapolis Prize finalists

Indianapolis Prize winners

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Indianapolis Prize

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Indianapolis Prize claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Indianapolis Prize before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Indianapolis Prize ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Indianapolis Prize

In research: Indianapolis Prize appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Indianapolis Prize in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Indianapolis Prize is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics American science and technology awards, Awards established in 2006, Biology awards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Indianapolis Prize outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Indianapolis Prize in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Indianapolis Prize means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Indianapolis Prize out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Indianapolis Prize in simple terms?

The Indianapolis Prize is a biennial prize awarded by the Indianapolis Zoo to individuals for "extraordinary contributions to conservation efforts" affecting one or more animal species. Overview The Indianapolis Prize was established by the Indianapolis Zoo to recognize and reward individuals who h…

Why does Indianapolis Prize matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Indianapolis Prize?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Indianapolis Prize.