{"id":527,"date":"2026-08-05T16:32:54","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T06:32:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/?page_id=527"},"modified":"2026-08-05T16:52:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T06:52:56","slug":"sera-awards-2026-terms-and-conditions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/sera-awards\/sera-awards-2026\/sera-awards-2026-terms-and-conditions\/","title":{"rendered":"SERA Awards 2026 &#8211; Terms and Conditions"},"content":{"rendered":"<h5><strong>1. About the SERA Awards<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The SERA Awards recognise excellence in ecological restoration across four categories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence \u2014 Large Project (greater than 50 hectares)<\/li>\n<li>SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence \u2014 Small Project (under 50 hectares)<\/li>\n<li>SERA Koonamore Student Award<\/li>\n<li>Albert Morris Award for Outstanding Ecological Restoration \u2014 presented jointly by SERA, the Australian Association of Bush Regenerators (AABR), and the Australian Network for Plant Conservation (ANPC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Awards are presented at the SERA conference, held in Adelaide, 19\u201321 October 2026. By submitting an application, entrants agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>2. Eligibility<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>2.1. <\/strong>Entry is open to individuals, organisations, agencies, and community groups involved in ecological restoration in Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand, or the Pacific Islands.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>2.2. <\/strong>Current SER\/SERA membership is not required to enter any award.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>2.3. <\/strong>There is no restriction on how long a project has been running. Projects of any age are eligible for the Large Project, Small Project, and Albert Morris awards.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>2.4. <\/strong>The SERA Koonamore Student Award is open only to students currently enrolled in an advanced program of study relevant to ecological restoration (typically PhD candidates, though other advanced research students may apply) at a recognised higher education institution, at the time of application.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>2.5. <\/strong>Previous finalists and winners are welcome to re-enter in the same or a subsequent year, including with an updated version of a previously entered project.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>2.6. <\/strong>Entrants may apply to more than one award category, and may submit more than one project across categories.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>2.7. <\/strong>SERA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine an entrant&#8217;s eligibility for a given award category.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>3. How to Apply<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>3.1. <\/strong>All applications must be submitted via the official conference portal, using the same submission process as a conference abstract.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>3.2. <\/strong>There is no fee to apply.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>3.3. <\/strong>Applications open August 2026 and close 7 September 2026, or as otherwise determined by SERA. Late applications will not be considered.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>3.4. <\/strong>Each application must include a written project or research summary of no more than 700 words, addressing the applicable judging criteria for that award category.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>3.5. <\/strong>Entrants must supply supporting evidence relevant to their category, which may include monitoring data, site reports, survey results, published research, thesis chapters, or other documentation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>3.6. <\/strong>Entrants must supply photographs of the project site or research activity, for use in SERA&#8217;s promotional materials in accordance with Section 6 below.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>3.7. <\/strong>SERA may request additional supporting evidence or clarification from an entrant at any stage of the judging process.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>4. Judging<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>4.1. <\/strong>Entries for the Large Project, Small Project, and Koonamore Student Award categories are judged by a panel of three SERA Board members.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>4.2. <\/strong>Entries for the Albert Morris Award are judged jointly by a panel of three representatives \u2014 one each from SERA, AABR, and ANPC.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>4.3. <\/strong>Judging panels will assess entries against the published criteria for each award category.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>4.4. <\/strong>Judging decisions are made at the sole discretion of the relevant judging panel and are final. No correspondence or appeals process will be entered into.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>4.5. <\/strong>SERA reserves the right not to make an award in any category in a given year, including where an insufficient number of eligible entries are received.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>5. Shortlisting and Finalist Videos<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>5.1. <\/strong>Entrants shortlisted as finalists will be contacted directly by SERA and asked to produce a short video showcasing their project or research, for screening during the awards presentation at the SERA conference.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>5.2. <\/strong>Finalist videos must comply with the format and technical specifications provided to shortlisted entrants (orientation, duration, file type, captions, and related requirements).<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>5.3. <\/strong>Entrants are responsible for ensuring they hold the necessary rights and permissions for any footage, photographs, or music used in their video, including obtaining permission for filming on private land, Country, or in sensitive or protected areas.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>5.4. <\/strong>Entrants must confirm that all individuals appearing or speaking in a finalist video have given informed consent to be filmed and to have that footage screened publicly and used in SERA&#8217;s promotional materials.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>5.5. <\/strong>Where a finalist is unable to provide a video, they should contact SERA to discuss alternative arrangements.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>6. Use of Submitted Material<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>6.1. <\/strong>By submitting an application, entrants grant SERA (and, for the Albert Morris Award, AABR and ANPC) a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, and publish submitted photographs, written material, and \u2014 for shortlisted entrants \u2014 video content, for the purposes of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>promoting and administering the SERA Awards;<\/li>\n<li>screening at the SERA conference and awards presentation;<\/li>\n<li>publication on SERA&#8217;s website, social media channels, newsletters, and future award campaigns; and<\/li>\n<li>media releases and other public communications relating to the Awards.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>6.2. <\/strong>Entrants warrant that they own, or have obtained all necessary permissions to use and licence, all material submitted as part of their application.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>6.3. <\/strong>SERA may edit, trim, or adapt submitted photographs or video for technical, promotional, or programming purposes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>6.4. <\/strong>Entrants retain ownership of their own material; this licence does not transfer ownership to SERA.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>7. Prizes<\/strong><\/h5>\n<table style=\"font-weight: 400\" width=\"587\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"293\"><strong>Award<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"147\"><strong>Category<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"147\"><strong>Prize<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"293\">SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">Large project (&gt;50 ha)<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">$1,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"293\">SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">Small project (&lt;50 ha)<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">$1,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"293\">SERA Koonamore Student Award<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">Student research<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">$1,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"293\">Albert Morris Award for Outstanding Ecological Restoration<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">Joint award with AABR &amp; ANPC<\/td>\n<td width=\"147\">No cash prize (trophy\/recognition)<strong style=\"font-size: 19px\">\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>7.1. <\/strong>Prize money will be paid to the individual or organisation named on the winning application, unless otherwise agreed with SERA in writing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>7.2. <\/strong>The Albert Morris Award carries no cash prize; the winner receives a trophy and public recognition.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>7.3. <\/strong>Prizes are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash (other than the prize money itself) or any other item.<\/p>\n<h5><strong>8. General Conditions<\/strong><\/h5>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>8.1. <\/strong>SERA reserves the right to vary these Terms and Conditions, or the Awards timeline, at any time. Any material changes will be communicated via the conference website and\/or direct communication with entrants.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>8.2. <\/strong>SERA reserves the right to extend the application period if an insufficient number of entries are received by the published closing date.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>8.3. <\/strong>Personal information collected as part of an application will be used only for the purposes of administering and promoting the SERA Awards, in accordance with SERA&#8217;s privacy practices.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>8.4. <\/strong>To the extent permitted by law, SERA, AABR, and ANPC accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from an entrant&#8217;s participation in the Awards, including in connection with the production of a finalist video.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>8.5. <\/strong>These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of South Australia where the conference will be held in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. About the SERA Awards The SERA Awards recognise excellence in ecological restoration across four categories: SERA Award for Ecological Restoration Excellence \u2014 Large Project (greater than 50 hectares) SERA [&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-527","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/527","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=527"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":535,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/527\/revisions\/535"}],"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=527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}