The Nat Award was created, to celebrate 140 years in existence of the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona, as an honorary distinction awarded each year to a person or institution that has adopted a novel perspective on natural history. Winners are people or institutions that are referents for their way of viewing and explaining nature, whether because they have encouraged professional engagement in natural history disciplines or because they have contributed significantly to nature conservation. The Nat Award consists of the main award and an honourable mention, conferred annually on a local or international person or institution. Awardees receive a piece of art especially designed for the occasion by the prominent sculptor Antoni Llena.
With a trajectory of 142 years, the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona is especially committed to nature conservation and partipates actively in local and international efforts to conserve, study and communicate biodiversity and geodiversity. Through the Nat Award, the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona aims to foster natural science communication in a context of environmental crisis, given that more efforts than ever are needed to open up new perspectives on connecting people and the natural sciences. Engraved on the trophy are lines in Catalan, by the poet and cultural manager Jordi Carrió, that reflect the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona’s commitment to the sustainability of the Planet:
«Coneixes l’abast dels límits. Només una Terra, només una vida»
[«You know the scope of the limits. Only one Earth. Only one life»]