5th Biophilia Award for Environmental Communication

One award will be given comprising 100,000 euros, a diploma and a commemorative artwork.

In the event that the award goes to a candidature comprising two or more persons, its monetary amount will be divided equally between them.

The BBVA Foundation will deliver the award in full to the winner(s) at a public ceremony convened for this purpose. The prize money may be spent at awardees’ discretion.

The award will be subject to the withholding and other taxes stipulated in current legislation, which will be deducted from its monetary amount.

3.1. Candidatures

Natural or legal persons of any nationality engaging professionally in any facet of environmental communication.

Joint entries will be accepted from two or more natural and/or legal persons that have made collaborative contributions in environmental dissemination and communication.

Candidatures may be direct, submitted by the interested parties, or indirect, with other natural or legal persons presenting letters of nomination.

3.2. Submission period and procedure

Submissions must be completed by May 31, 2023 at 12 noon (Spanish standard time). All documentation should have been sent in full no later than this date and time.

Entries should be submitted through the email address biophilia-award@fbbva.es with the name of the first candidate by alphabetical order stated in the subject line.

All documentation must be presented in English, with the exception of the materials substantiating the communication or dissemination activity, which may be submitted in other languages, accompanied by a short summary in English.

Any materials that cannot be attached or electronically identified should be sent by postal mail, with the name of the candidature clearly stated, to the following address:

BIOPHILIA AWARD
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION
Fundación BBVA
Paseo de Recoletos, 10
28001 Madrid, España

3.3. Required documentation

Entries should include the following documentation:

1. A duly completed entry form, signed by the person(s) presenting the candidature (downloaded from this website).
2. A description of the communication and dissemination activities (max. five A4 pages).
3. In the case of natural persons, a copy of the candidate(s)’ curriculum vitae.
4. Copy of or link to the communication and dissemination activities of most significance and impact (up to a maximum of five). Where relevant, candidates are urged to provide some indication of the audience figures reached.
5. Copy of letters of nomination or (as the case may be) letters of support, up to a maximum of five. Letters of nomination and letters of support should come from experts or organizations working in nature conservation, the protection of the environment or environmental communication, among them:
   • Representatives and/or members of public institutions and authorities with competences in nature conservation, climate change and environmental communication.
   • Representatives and/or members of associations of media professionals.
   • Scientists and/or experts of acknowledged repute in the areas of communication and the environmental sciences.
   • National and international conservationist organizations.

Letters of nomination or support should be sent directly by their signatories, together with the personal data processing form, to biophilia-award@fbbva.es, with the full name of the candidature appearing in the subject line. Letters should be signed and offer a short reasoned account of the significance and scope of the candidate(s)’ contribution.  Note that the signatories of letters of nomination or support must also be identified in the entry form.

The BBVA Foundation guarantees the confidentiality of all documents, which will be put on file after the award decision and in no event shared with third parties.

3.4. Correction of errors

If the submission contains errors that can be corrected, the BBVA Foundation will inform the candidate or nominator to this effect, granting a non-extendible period of 15 calendar days as of this notification in which to rectify the information, so the entry may be accepted for consideration.

3.5. Incompatibility

No candidate in this call may also submit an entry in the 18th edition of the Biodiversity Conservation Awards.

The selection process will be in the charge of an evaluation committee chaired by the Director of the BBVA Foundation or a person he appoints in his stead, and with from six up to a maximum of ten members designated by the BBVA Foundation, comprising researchers, communicators, experts and professionals of acknowledged repute in the areas of nature protection and the environmental sciences.

The committee will consider all the candidates meeting the requirements of these call conditions, and will arrive at its award decision by reference to the following evaluation criteria:

• Broad social impact and public recognition of the communication activity, preferably on a global or transnational scale.
• Innovation and originality of the communication activities, which may comprise the publication of articles, monographs, multimedia materials or books; the preparation, editing and presentation of reports and documentaries; the design and curation of exhibitions; and projects in any media channel (press, radio, television, film, documentaries or Internet).
• The technical quality of the formats used.

The evaluation committee may decide to merge two or more separate entries when it considers that they have made convergent contributions. In the case of nominations made up of several persons or organizations, it may also elect to confine the award to one or some of its members in recognition of their differential contribution.

The evaluation committee may declare the award vacant.

The evaluation committee’s decision will not be open to appeal.

The membership of the evaluation committee will be publicly disclosed following the award decision.

No itemized or individual information will be provided on the submissions received or the deliberations of the evaluation committee.

The decision in this call will be made public no later than October 1, 2023.

The award will be presented at a ceremony organized by the BBVA Foundation.

By accepting the award, the winner undertakes to attend this presentation ceremony, at which they will deliver a lecture on an environmental topic of their choice.

In the event that the award goes to a legal person, it must furnish the following documents after being notified of the award decision:

• A copy of its bylaws.
• A copy of its tax identification number.
• A statement from its governing body confirming its acceptance of the award.

The fact of participating in this call signifies the acceptance of its conditions and award decision, which will not be open to appeal, and renunciation of any claim of whatsoever nature.

Exceptionally, the BBVA Foundation reserves the right to modify these conditions, for duly justified reasons, to the sole end of clarifying their content, without such changes in any case implying a substantial or arbitrary alteration of the same. The text of these call conditions and of the corresponding FAQs, whose reading we recommend to candidates and nominators, will be available for the duration of this call on the BBVA Foundation website.

Who can present candidates?

• Candidatures may be:
  • Direct: Submitted by natural or legal persons on their own behalf.
  • Indirect: Submitted by natural or legal persons other than the candidate.

Can I put myself forward for the award?

• Candidatures in this call may be direct or indirect.

How do I submit an entry?

• All entries must be submitted through the email address biophilia-award@fbbva.es with the name of the first candidate by alphabetical order stated in the subject
• Any materials that cannot be attached or electronically identified should be sent by postal mail, with the full name of the candidature clearly stated, to the following address:

BIOPHILIA AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION

Fundación BBVA

 Paseo de Recoletos, 10

  28001 Madrid, Spain

When does the submission period close?

• The submission period for this award closes on May 31, 2023 at 12 noon (Spanish standard time).
• All documentation must have been sent by the date and time stated.
• No entries received after this date and time will be accepted for consideration, regardless of whether additional documentation was previously sent by postal mail.

Will a correction period be granted after the deadline for submissions?

• If the submission contains errors that can be corrected, the BBVA Foundation will inform the candidate or nominator to this effect, granting a non-extendible period of 15 calendar days as of this notification in which to rectify the information, so the entry may be accepted for consideration.

What kinds of documentation are required for an entry to be accepted for consideration?

1/ A correctly completed submission form, indicating all the materials making up the candidature, and with file names provided for each document.

• In the case of individual direct candidatures, the form should be signed by the candidate.
• In the case of joint direct candidatures, the form should be signed by at least one The remaining natural and/or legal persons making up the candidature should sign the Personal Data Processing form.
• In the case of indirect candidatures, the form should be signed by the persons submitting it.
• In both direct and indirect candidatures, the signatories of the letters of support or nomination should sign the corresponding submission form or, failing that, the Personal Data Processing form.

2/ A description of the communication and dissemination activities (max. 5 A4 pages). The template for this call can be downloaded here.

3/ In the case of natural persons, a curriculum vitae should be provided for each candidate. The template for this call can be downloaded here.

4/ A copy of or link to the most salient communication and dissemination activities that have achieved the greatest impact (up to a maximum of five). Where relevant, include some indication of audience figures. Documents including more than one link in each will not be accepted.

5/ A copy of letters of nomination (at least one in indirect candidatures) and/or letters of support (as the case may be), up to a maximum of five.

In the event of a joint candidature, what documentation should I provide?

• In the case of joint entries comprising natural persons, the documentation is exactly the same, except that a curriculum vitae must be provided for each of the This document is not required if the candidate is a legal person.
• The description of communication and dissemination activities provided, which should comprise a single document (max. 5 A4 pages, in English), should lay special emphasis on the candidates’ shared contributions, and include reasoned arguments for their inclusion in a joint
• In the case of joint direct candidatures, the submission form should be signed by at least one of the people submitting it. Remaining candidates should provide a signed copy of the Personal Data Processing form.

In what language should entries be submitted?

• All documentation must be presented in English, with the exception of the materials substantiating the communication or dissemination action, which may be submitted in other languages, accompanied by a short summary in English.

Do I have to use the templates provided for this call?

• No, except in the case of the submission form.

What is the difference between letters of nomination and letters of support?

• Letters of nomination are provided in the case of indirect candidatures.
• Letters of support are provided in the case of both direct and indirect candidatures.
• The presenters of letters of support or nomination are required to also sign the submission form or provide a signed copy of the Personal Data Processing form.

Do direct candidatures need to be backed by letters of support?

• Letters of support are not compulsory when presenting a direct candidature.

Do indirect candidatures need to come with letters of nomination?

• In the case of indirect nominations, at least one letter of nomination needs to be provided.

Can letters of support be provided in the case of indirect candidatures?

• Yes, indirect candidatures can come with both letters of support and letters of nomination, up to a maximum of five.

How should letters of support be provided?

• Letters of support should be sent directly by their signatories to biophilia-award@fbbva.es with the name of the candidature stated clearly in the subject line.
• The signatories of these letters must be identified in the submission form, which they should likewise sign (failing which they must provide a signed copy of the Personal Data Processing form).

How should letters of nomination be provided?

• In cases where a nomination coordinator has been appointed, he or she should send the letters of nomination together with the remaining materials making up the candidature.
• The signatories of these letters must be identified in the submission form, which they should likewise sign (failing which they must provide a signed copy of the Personal Data Processing form).
• Letters of nomination may also be sent directly by their signatories, as previously identified in the corresponding submission form, to biophilia-award@fbbva.es.

Who can provide letters of support or nomination?

• Both letters of support and letters of nomination should come from experts or organizations working in the areas of nature conservation, the protection of the environment or environmental communication, among them:
  • Representatives and/or members of institutions or public authorities with competences in nature conservation, climate change and environmental communication.
  • Representatives and/or members of associations of media professionals.
  • Scientists and/or experts of acknowledged repute in the areas of communication and the environmental sciences.
  • National and international conservationist organizations.

What information should letters of support or nomination contain?

• A short reasoned account of the significance of the candidate or candidates’ single most salient contribution in communication, education and awareness-raising in the realm of environmental and biodiversity conservation.
• In the case of joint candidatures, special emphasis should be laid on the candidates’ collaborative contributions.

What does the award consist of?

• A single award of 100,000 euros, a diploma and a commemorative artwork.
• The award will be subject to the withholding and other taxes stipulated in current legislation, which will be deducted from its monetary amount.
• The BBVA Foundation will deliver the award in full to the winner or winners at a public ceremony convened for this purpose.

What happens with the prize money if the winning entry is made up of various persons or organizations?

• In the event that the award goes to a candidature comprising two or more natural or/and legal persons, its monetary amount will be divided equally between them.

What requirements must awardees meet?

• The prize money may be spent at the winner(s)’ discretion. However by accepting the award they agree to attend its presentation ceremony, at which they will deliver a lecture on the environmental topic of their choice.

When will the award decision be announced?

• The award decision will be made public no later than October 1, 2023.
• Following the decision, the name of the awardee(s) and the membership of the evaluation committee will be posted on our website.
• The evaluation committee may declare the award partially or wholly vacant.
• The decision of the evaluation committee will not be open to appeal.
• No further communication or correspondence will be maintained with candidates who were not selected for the award. No itemized or individual information will be provided on the submissions received or the deliberations of the evaluation committee.

If we have not answered your question, please contact the BBVA Foundation at biophilia-award@fbbva.es. We will be delighted to assist you.