Recognising the best of Australasian zoological literature

You are invited to nominate a publication for the prestigious Royal Zoological Society of NSW Whitely Awards. Awarded annually, the Whitley Awards are presented for outstanding publications that profile the unique wildlife of the Australasian region. These publications may be highly academic or technical, or for a wider and more general readership.​

The awards are a tribute to Gilbert Whitley, an eminent ichthyologist and former Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum. He authored over 500 publications describing a range of aquatic fauna from sharks to seahorses and importantly, he was the Editor of RZS NSW publications for many years.

All nominations are considered for the Whitley Medal. Apart from the Medal, Certificates of Commendation are awarded to outstanding publications in a range of categories including children’s books, natural history, magazines, field guides and technical works for professional zoologists.

In general, second and subsequent editions of a book will not be considered for a Whitley Award unless it can be shown that it contains significant new content not included in previous edition/s.

​To promote their success, Whitley Award recipients may display Whitley Award logos on book covers or websites. RZS NSW will also recommend winner publications and provide personal quotes for authors and publishers.

Entries close at midnight on the 31st of May each year for works published in the preceding 12 months.

Previous awardees

2024 2023 2022 2021 2020