Previous editions

In its fifth year, the Nat Award honoured Enric Sala, marine ecologist, explorer, promoter of marine reserves and environmental spokesman.

Two honourable mentions will be awarded this year: to Alícia Masriera, a geologist, mountaineer, professor and former director of Barcelona Geology Museum and, posthumously, to Jordi Sabater i Pi, in recognition of his great contribution to the fields of ethology, primatology and human evolution, as well as to ethnology and zoology.

The Nat Prize award ceremony was held at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona.

During the session, Enric Sala gave the lecture entitled, Why do we Need a Wilder World? Review it at the  television channel, NatTV.

 

Winner of the Nat Award and the Nat 2022 Honourable Mentions

Nat Award 2022

Enric Sala i Gamito

Marine ecologist, National Geographic explorer in residence and founder and director of Pristine Seas, a project devoted to the exploration and protection of the last wild places in the global ocean.

For his intense activity in the conservation of oceans, which has helped protect over 6 million km2 of ocean territory, equivalent to 13 times the surface area of Spain, and for his work to educate and raise awareness among the general public and political and economic leaders about the vital need for a healthy ocean and to build new development models compatible with marine conservation.

2022 Honorary Mention

Jordi Sabater i Pi

Primatologist, ethologist and naturalist; emeritus professor at the University de Barcelona

For his highly acclaimed work in research into and the divulgation of primatology and nature in general. Introducer of ethology in our country, he excelled in the study of gorilla and chimpanzee behaviour. A task that, as a naturalist, was also decisive in the fields of human evolution, ethnology, herpetology, ornithology, botany, ecology, scientific drawing and teaching. He was one of the co-discoverers of the manufacture of tools among chimpanzees, and a defender of the existence of cultures in the animal world.

Alícia Masriera i Gonzalez

Geologist, mountaineer, professor and director of the Barcelona Geology Museum (1985 -2005)

Her determined vocation, enthusiasm and perseverance were of key importance for the growth and enrichment of the Geology Museum, promoting, with few resources, dozens of exhibitions, scientific and historical publications as well as the addition of important collections and the creation of a thin-film laboratory.  Her scientific research work has always focused on the study of Mesozoic and Tertiary terrain in the Catalan and Aragonese Pyrenees, and is reflected in several scientific and informative publications.

 

The Nat Award Jury is made up of: 

• Dacha Atienza, head of research and collections at the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona
• Mara Dierssen, neurobiologist and scientific spokeswoman
• Martí Domínguez, biologist and director of the journal Mètode
• Xavier Duran, journalist at TV3
• Teresa Garnatje, director of the Botanical Institute of Barcelona
• Anna Omedes, director of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona up to April 2022
• Joandomènec Ros, professor of Ecology at the University of Barcelona

In this fourth edition, the jury decided to award the Nat 2021 Prize to Nalini Nadkarni, for her enthusiastic work in research and dissemination of biodiversity and the environment, focused on the study and defence of forests around the world; and for the creation of original communication and educational tools aimed at all areas of society that also address gender issues and groups at risk of exclusion.

Nat Honourable Mention 2021

Centre Excursionista de Catalunya (Hiking Club of Catalonia) and the Institució Catalana d’Història Natural (Catalan Institute of Natural History), for their great academic and educational work with the general public on the understanding, exploration, research, and dissemination of natural sciences and the preservation of the environment. A task begun in the 19th century, successfully continued to the present day, and which has made a decisive contribution to the history of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences).

 

The Nat Award jury was formed by:

• Dacha Atienza, head of collections & research at the Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences.
• Mara Dierssen, neurobiologist and science communicator.
• Martí Domínguez, biologist and director of the scientific journal Mètode.
• Xavier Duran, writer and journalist with TV3.
• Teresa Garnatje, director of the Institut Botànic de Barcelona (Botanical Institute of Barcelona).
• Anna Omedes, director of the Barcelona Museum of Natural Sciences.
• Joandomènec Ros, Professor of Ecology at the University of Barcelona.

 

This year’s winner, Nalini Nadkarni, biologist, ecologist and activist, gave the lecture “Weaving a tapestry of science, nature, and people to protect our one Earth”.

You can follow the event and the conference live on the NatTV channel.

More information: Press kit

The Nat awards 2020 were presented at 6:30 p.m. on 25 November, with the winner, Ramon Folch, delivering a conference entitled “Spreading knowledge rather than curiosities” as part of the event.

Both the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, and the director of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (Museum of Natural Sciences of Barcelona), Anna Omedes, were in attendance via digital means. The event was broadcasted live on the Museum’s YouTube channel.

See the event again in this link.

Nat 2020 award winners

In its third edition, this year the jury has awarded the Nat award 2020 prize to Ramon Folch, a doctor of biology and socioecologist, for his work in research, dissemination, and defence of biodiversity and the environment, both locally and internationally, for his creation of innovative scientific and educational tools for naturalists and ecologists, bringing together experts, and for the impact his work has had in many professional fields and in raising society’s awareness of nature.

The Posthumous Honourable Mention goes to Lynn Margulis, biologist and thinker, for her contributions in the field of evolutionary biology, and who stirred up our understanding of the world with her theory placing symbiosis and cooperation at the heart of evolution, as well as for her exceptional work in education and spreading knowledge in her field.

The Nat award 2020 Jury is formed by:  

• Dacha Atienza, Head of the Scientific Area at the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona.
• Mara Dierssen, Senior Scientist at the Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona.
• Martí Domínguez, writer and director of the scientific journal Mètode.
• Xavier Duran, writer and journalist with TV3.
• Teresa Garnatje, director of the Institut Botànic de Barcelona (Botanical Institute of Barcelona – IBB).
• Anna Omedes, director of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona.
• Joandomènec Ros, president of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans (Institute for Catalan Studies – IEC).
• Jury secretary: Jordi Serrallonga, archaeologist, naturalist and adviser to the Museum.

The Nat award was created by the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona in 2018 to celebrate its 140 years in existence  and mark this key date in a very special way. The NAT award is granted to a person or institution that have contributed prominently to natural history by adopting a novel perspective on bringing science to the public, enriching knowledge, fostering careers and promoting nature conservation.

The Nat Award consists of a main award and honourable mention.  Awardees receive a piece of art especially designed for the occasion by the prominent sculptor Antoni Llena.

Premi Nat 2019 from Museu de Ciencies Naturals on Vimeo.

 

Nat Award  winners 2019

The jury has decided to grant the Nat  Award 2019 to Elisabeth Rasekoala and the Honourable Mention Nat to Jorge Wagensberg.

Nat 2019 Award

Elisabeth Rasekoala, chemical engineer and president of African Gong, for her struggle in favor of diversity, sociocultural and gender inclusion in the dissemination, learning and practice of science, which has contributed to the democratization of the science, creation of scientific vocations and sustainable development in Africa.

Nat Honourable Mention 2019

Jorge Wagensberg, a physicist, thinker and communicator of science, for his great contribution to scientific culture as director of the science center Cosmocaixa (Barcelona), which changed the paradigm of science museums with a creative and multidisciplinary perspective with interactive museographies and a clear social vocation.

The Nat Award Jury is formed by:

• Dacha Atienza, head of research and collections at the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona
• Mara Dierssen, research director of the Centre for Genomic Regulation of Barcelona
• Martí Domínguez, writer and director of «Mètode», the Science communication journal of the University of Valencia
• Xavier Duran, TV3 journalist and writer
• Teresa Garnatje, director of the Botanical Institute of Barcelona
• Anna Omedes, director of the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona
• Joandomènec Ros, president of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans

NAT Award winners 2018

In this first edition of 2018, the Nat Award goes to Dr. Frans de Waal and the NAT Honourable Mention goes to Roser Nos Ronchera. In addition, the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona has decided to confer a NAT Extraordinary Award for a Professional Career to the great science communicator, Sir David Attenborough.

NAT Award 2018

Dr. Frans de Waal, biologist, primatologist and writer. For his vision regarding the evolution of animal behaviour in establishing a parallel between primate and human behaviour in aspects such as politics, empathy, morality and justice.

NAT Honourable Mention 2018

Roser Nos Ronchera, biologist. For her scientific, educational and science communication work in Barcelona and especially for her great work in reconnecting the Zoology Museum of Barcelona with the people of Barcelona, when as its director (1981-1989), she launched a programme of activities and temporary exhibitions that opened the Zoology Museum more meaningfully to the public.

NAT Extraordinary Award for a Professional Career 2018

Sir David Attenborough, scientist, writer and naturalist. For his pioneering work in the production of nature and animal behaviour documentaries and for novel perspectives and new interpretations that have influenced conservation work and inspired many people to professionally engage with nature.