The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recognized the achievements of 18 AZA member facilities in the fields of conservation, education, research, exhibit and facility design, marketing, diversity, research, and volunteer engagement during the 2022 AZA Annual Conference held in late August in Baltimore, Maryland. It also awarded the highest honor in professional excellence bestowed by the Association, the R. Marlin Perkins Award for Professional Excellence.
“To win one of these awards an AZA-accredited aquarium or zoo must reach the very pinnacle of achievement,” said Dan Ashe, president and chief executive officer at AZA. “From the South Carolina Aquarium to the Cali Zoo in Colombia, the range and breadth of talent on display is impressive, and a testament to the professionalism and commitment of all involved. Each facility recognized here is committed to saving wildlife and wild places and enriching their respective communities.”
This year also saw the establishment of a new award, the AZA Facilities Award. This award recognizes excellence in the design and construction of a facility that supports the mission of an AZA-accredited facility.
“In a rapidly changing world, zoos and aquariums continue to adapt and innovate,” said Sue Chin, Vice President of Planning & Design and Chief Architect, at the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Chair, AZA Honors and Awards Committee. “This year’s award-winning projects exemplify excellence across the whole profession and are critical to advancing the field and our collective mission.”
The 2022 Honors and Awards recipients are as follows:
R. Marlin Perkins Award for Professional Excellence:
- Julie Packard, executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California
William G. Conway International Conservation Award:
- Top Honors – North Carolina Zoo’s UNITE for the Environment (UNITE) in Uganda; North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, North Carolina
Exhibit Award:
- Top Honors – Por el Camino de los Andes or “Along the Andes Trail;” Fundacion Zoolgica de Cali – Cali Zoo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
- Top Honors – South America’s Pantanal; Houston Zoo, Inc., Houston, Texas
- Top Honors – Zoo Knoxville’s Clayton Family Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Campus (ARC Campus); Zoo Knoxville, Knoxville, Tennessee
- Significant Achievement – Owen Sea Lions Shores; Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska
Facility Award:
- Top Honors – Bechtel Family Center for Ocean Education and Leadership; Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey, California
Angela Peterson Excellence in Diversity Award:
- Top Honors – Morton Family Exhibit; Nashville Zoo, Nashville, Tennessee
Education Award:
- Top Honors – Toddler Time; Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Dayton, Ohio
- Significant Achievement – Virtual Zoo Pals; Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Los Angeles, California
- Top Honors – You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: Increasing Representation in Conservation Science Stories; WCS / Bronx Zoo, Brooklyn, New York
- Significant Achievement – Wildlife Action Crew; Seneca Park Zoo Society, Rochester, New York
- Significant Achievement – Inclusion Initiatives Project: The Importance of Inclusive Education; Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara, California
Research Award:
- Top Honors – Integrating genetics, behaviour, and ecology to align with a novel stepping-stone approach for Vancouver Island Marmots and other critically endangered species; Wilder Institute / Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Excellence in Marketing Award:
- Top Honors – Wild Asia; Akron Zoo, Akron, Ohio
- Top Honors – This Is How We Zoo; Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington
- Significant Achievement – “Just ZOO It;” Memphis Zoological Society, Memphis, Tennessee
- Significant Achievement – Aquarium Aglow; South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston, South Carolina
Volunteer Engagement Award:
- Top Honors – Covid Can’t Curb Conservation Connections; San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, California
Quarter Century Award (for 25 years of continuous AZA accreditation):
- Brevard Zoo; Melbourne, Florida
- Dallas World Aquarium; Dallas, Texas
- The Florida Aquarium; Tampa, Florida
- Hutchinson Zoo; Hutchinson, Kansas
