The Lush Prize 2014

The Impressive Art Deco building of The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London's Marylebone played host on Friday night to the 2014 Lush Prize; the award ceremony which celebrates the achievements of some of the world's most pioneering individuals and organisations engaged in putting an end to animal testing.

Now in it's third year, the prize is awarded those working towards a future without animal testing. A total of £250,00 is spread across five categories: In addition to this there is the Black Box Prize where an additional fund of £250,000 is award to a team or individual responsible for a major breakthrough in finding alternatives to animal testing; should there be no winners the money is rolled over to another year or shared between the other categories.

The prize is run in conjunction with and managed on a day-to-day basis by Ethical Consumer Research Association (ECRA), a not-for-profit co-operative based in the UK. The organisation has been at the heart of campaigning for the increased sustainability of businesses globally for over twenty five years.

This year the nominees hailed from all corners of the globe and this year there were 33 short-listed organisations and scientists from eighteen countries. Nominations for the prize were considered by a team of independent judges whom come from a variety of backgrounds including the sciences and politics as well as members of the public and animal rights campaigners. 

And the awards go to...

Lobbying Prize - for policy interventions promoting the use of alternatives 

(this year there were two winners)

• Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, Germany
• New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society, New Zealand

Public Awareness Prize - for policy interventions promoting the use of alternatives 

(this year there were two winners)

• Taiwan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA), Taiwan
• Humane Research Australia, Australia

Science Prize - for 21st Century Toxicology

• Professor Roland Grafstrom and Dr Pekka Kohonen, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Training Prize - Training researchers in non-animal methods

(this year there were two winners)

• Africa Network for Animal Welfare, Kenya
• Professor Ovanes Mekenyan, Laboratory of Mathematical Chemistry, Bulgaria

Young Researcher Prize - Post-doctoral students specialising in alternative research

(this year there were five winners)

• Róber Bachinski, Fluminense Federal University, Brazil
• Thit Aaroe Morck, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Dr Henrik Johansson, Lund University, Sweden
• Anne Krug, University of Konstanz, Germany
• Jonathan Nicolas, Division of Toxicology/RILKIT Institute of Food Safety, Wageningen University and Research Centre, Netherlands

To find out more about the prize and this years nominees and winners, visit the Lush Prize website