Caesar Kleberg Award for Excellence in Applied Wildlife Research

This award recognizes those who have distinguished themselves in applied wildlife research.

While the Aldo Leopold Award recognizes individuals for much broader contributions and is truly a lifetime achievement award, the Caesar Kleberg Award is focused on those whose body of work, in both inquiry and discovery, has resulted in application of management and conservation “on the ground.”

The award is not intended to honor the outstanding career accomplishments of research administrators or practitioners of wildlife management or conservation, for whom the Leopold Award is a better fit.

The award is presented each year at the TWS Annual Conference and in addition to an award plaque and commemorative medal, it includes conference registration, travel expenses, and a small honorarium.

A nominee’s eligibility for the Kleberg Award will not be affected by other awards received from The Wildlife Society (e.g., Leopold Award, Honorary Member, and TWS Fellow). 

Award Criteria

  • The nominee must have been a member of The Wildlife Society for much of their career.
  • The nominee must have a sustained record of productivity in applied wildlife research. This award is intended to honor an individual’s record of applied research over a substantial period of time, rather than accomplishments involving a single research endeavor. The research must have had direct context and value for managing or conserving wildlife resources, with a focus on vertebrate species excluding fish. Any intellectual endeavors that result in acquired knowledge about wildlife and physical, biological, or social processes that affect wildlife are eligible for this award.
  • The nominee’s research responds to or has potential application to high-priority needs in wildlife management and conservation.
  • Applications from nominee’s research are realizing significant improvements in wildlife management or conservation, on-the-ground management practices, or wildlife policies, either by the researcher, wildlife managers, policy-makers, or other applied scientists or practitioners.
  • The nominee has a national or international reputation for excellence in applied wildlife research.

Heads of research organizations may be eligible for the award if they were intellectually involved in the research; i.e., contributed to the experimental design, analysis, and/or application of said research.

Nominations Procedures

Nomination letters should include:

  • The nominee’s point of contact with phone numbers and e-mail address
  • Name and affiliation of nominee
  • Nomination statement
  • Nominee’s curriculum vitae
  • Names and contact information for at least five references

Materials for consideration should include a nomination statement that clearly outlines the nominee’s contributions to applied wildlife research, completely covering each of the five selection criteria listed above. The nomination statement must provide an explicit link between the nominee’s career and a cumulative track record relative to wildlife research findings, recognized success, and application of results that have high importance in the field of conservation and/or wildlife management. While a list of publications is useful, that alone will be insufficient.

Submit these materials via email to awards@wildlife.org. The nomination and complete supporting documentation should be sent as a single PDF file by May 1, 2023 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Nominations of unsuccessful candidates remain in the candidate pool for a maximum of three years, unless the individual is re-nominated.