Awards to Iowa nonprofit organizations, schools, businesses, and individuals for outstanding contributions to the field of environmental education. Awardees have developed and implemented programming to promote increased understanding of the state's cultural and natural resources. The funding source presents a wide range of awards to nominees showing excellence in conservation and environmental education.

Award Categories:

• Aldo Leopold Environmental Education Award: For Lifetime Achievement in EE Excellence and Leadership: This award may be given to an individual or an organization. Provide a description of exemplary service in the field of environmental education including number of years, accomplishments, and service to community or state organizations.
• Bohumil Shimek Environmental Educator Award: For Outstanding Efforts by an Environmental Educator: This award will recognize a formal or non-formal educator for innovative EE programming beyond her/his job expectations. 
• Chris Holt Youth Environmental Education Award: For an Outstanding EE Program for Youth or Conducted by Youth (Preschool-Grade 12): This award may be presented to an individual or a group. Describe the program’s uniqueness, the benefits to youth and the community, and student involvement. Also considering uniqueness, level of student involvement, and benefits to the youth and community. Award recipients in this category may receive this award once only.
• “Ding” Darling Environmental Education Award: For Outstanding EE Program or Event which Informs and Educates the General Public: This award may be presented to an individual or an organization for an annual event, ongoing program, or one-time special event.
• Sylvan Runkel Environmental Education School Award: For Outstanding Whole-School EE Program: Describe the overall program, including whole school involvement, cross-disciplinary approach, support by administration and staff, innovative uses of outdoor classrooms, how the program benefits the community, and student involvement. 
• Frederic Leopold Environmental Education Award: For Outstanding EE Efforts by Business, Industry, or Labor: Describe the EE efforts including benefits to the community, goals of the programs, and why the educational efforts were initiated. 
• Ada Hayden Conservation Education Award: For Outstanding Efforts to Educate About Preservation, Land Management, or Natural Resource Conservation: This award may be presented to individuals or organizations. Describe the efforts involved in educating others (which may be conservation professionals or private landowners) including the purposes, future plans, and target audiences of the conservation education programs. Also, it should be above and beyond a person’s job, suited to the audience’s needs, longevity of effort, and a measure of effectiveness. 
• Outstanding Environmental Education Program (2 or less full-time, equivalent Naturalists) - Outstanding Environmental Education Program (3 or more full-time, equivalent Naturalists): For Excellence in EE Programming by an Agency or Institution: Describe examples of effective programs uniquely suited to the local EE needs in the area.
• Outstanding Volunteer: This award may be presented to an individual who has shown dedication in promoting and assisting with environmental education efforts. Describe the person’s willingness to serve, level of involvement, and accomplished projects or tasks. One reference letter may be included. Award recipients may receive this award once only.
• Outstanding Interpretative Print Media: This award may be presented to an individual or an organization for the development of newsletters, brochures, or trail guides. 
• Outstanding Interpretative Non-Print Media: This award may be presented to an individual or an organization for the development of websites, podcasts, or film/video.