{"id":507,"date":"2026-08-05T16:08:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T06:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/?page_id=507"},"modified":"2026-08-13T12:24:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T02:24:29","slug":"award-1-sera-award-for-ecological-restoration-excellence-large-project-over-50-ha","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/sera-awards\/sera-awards-2026\/award-1-sera-award-for-ecological-restoration-excellence-large-project-over-50-ha\/","title":{"rendered":"AWARD 1 \u2014 SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence: Large Project (over 50 ha)"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence \u2014 Large Project Category<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This award recognises individuals, organisations, and teams delivering ecological restoration at scale \u2014 projects greater than 50 hectares that demonstrate strong ecological foundations, careful planning, and genuine, measurable recovery on the ground.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Restoration at this scale takes years of sustained effort, strong partnerships, and adaptive management. This award exists to recognise that work and share it more widely \u2014 with the sector, and with the communities who benefit from healthier land and seascapes.<\/p>\r\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/icebergevents-sera-2026.eventsairsite.com\/sera-awards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #008000\"><strong>APPLY HERE<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h5>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Prize:\u00a0<\/strong>$1,500<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Who&#8217;s eligible:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any individual, organisation, agency, or community group leading or closely involved in a restoration project of more than 50 hectares, located in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, or the Pacific Islands. There is no restriction on how long the project has been running \u2014 long-established projects with years of monitoring data are just as welcome as newer ones showing early results. Previous finalists and winners may reapply, including with an updated version of the same project.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What you&#8217;ll need to supply:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>A written project summary describing the site, its history, and the restoration approach taken (word limit \u2013 700 words)<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Evidence addressing the judging criteria (see below), such as monitoring data, site reports, or survey results<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Photographs of the site \u2014 before, during, and\/or after restoration \u2014 for use in SERA&#8217;s promotional materials and, if shortlisted, the awards presentation<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Details of stakeholder or community partners involved in the project<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Optional: supporting documents such as published research, media coverage, or funding acknowledgements<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If shortlisted, you&#8217;ll be contacted directly and asked to prepare a short video showcasing your project, to be shown at the awards presentation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How to apply:\u00a0<\/strong>Submit via the <a href=\"https:\/\/icebergevents-sera-2026.eventsairsite.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conference portal<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Preparing your application: what judges are looking for<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your 700-word project summary and supporting evidence will be assessed against the following criteria. Strong applications don&#8217;t need to address every point exhaustively \u2014 but the more clearly you can speak to each, the easier it is for judges to see the full strength of your project.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Scientific and ecological foundation<\/strong><br \/>Tell us about the science behind your project. Is it underpinned by sound ecological research, a monitoring program, or a partnership with researchers or institutions? Evidence-based decision-making \u2014 even informal, in-house monitoring \u2014 strengthens your case.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Planning and scale-appropriate delivery<\/strong><br \/>Show that your planning, implementation, and monitoring match the scale and complexity of the site. For a project over 50 hectares, judges want to see that the approach was designed with that scale in mind, not just scaled up from a smaller model.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Stakeholder engagement<\/strong><br \/>Who else is involved? Judges look for genuine, secure engagement with local stakeholders \u2014 community members, landholders, agencies, or partner organisations \u2014 not just a list of names.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Indigenous ecosystem reference<\/strong><br \/>Describe how you&#8217;ve used an appropriate local Indigenous ecosystem as your recovery reference or target. This might include the ecological community you&#8217;re aiming to restore toward, and how that reference was determined.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Sustainability and connectivity<\/strong><br \/>Explain how your project is set up to last \u2014 is it linked to surrounding ecosystems, contributing to a broader corridor or network, or otherwise built for long-term viability beyond the current funding or project cycle?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Climate adaptability<\/strong><br \/>Have you factored climate change into your design? This could include species selection, water management, or planning for future conditions rather than just historical baselines.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Demonstrated recovery<\/strong><br \/>This is where your evidence matters most: monitoring data, survey results, photos, or site reports that show recovery processes are genuinely underway \u2014 and that there&#8217;s a clear path to comprehensive recovery over time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>X factor<\/strong><br \/>Is there something about your project that doesn&#8217;t fit neatly into the categories above \u2014 an innovative technique, a compelling story, or a standout outcome? Don&#8217;t be afraid to make the case for it.<br \/><br \/><\/p>\r\n<h5><a href=\"https:\/\/icebergevents-sera-2026.eventsairsite.com\/sera-awards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #008000\"><strong>APPLY HERE<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h5>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence \u2014 Large Project Category This award recognises individuals, organisations, and teams delivering ecological restoration at scale \u2014 projects greater than 50 hectares that demonstrate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"parent":496,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-507","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":565,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/507\/revisions\/565"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}