ILCN Conservation Innovation Award

The International Land Conservation Network (ILCN), a project of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, created the ILCN Conservation Innovation Award to strengthen our efforts to identify and amplify innovations that advance the practice, impact, and relevance of land conservation around the world.

The award is inspired by the career of Jim Levitt, who led land conservation programs at the Lincoln Institute for more than two decades and who served as director for the ILCN from 2018 to 2025.

By recognizing and elevating the work of innovators, the ILCN seeks to encourage the development, transfer, and adaptation of innovations across geographies and jurisdictions. Examples of past innovations that the ILCN has highlighted, informed, or catalyzed include:

• The establishment of the Trustees of Reservations, the first regional land trust in the United States;
• The formation of the European Land Conservation Network, a first-ever network for private land conservation in Europe;
• The creation of a new legal instrument for conservation in perpetuity in civil code countries, known as the Derecho Real de Conservación in Chile and Les obligations réelles environnementales in France;
• The implementation of a new tax incentive for biodiversity conservation in South Africa;
  and
• The development of a new technology that streamlines monitoring and reporting of conservation outcomes.

 

Nominations should be submitted using the online nomination link available on the ILCN website. The form requires a brief statement (250-500 words) describing the innovation and justifying its merits based on the nomination and selection criteria outlined below. Nominations for calendar year 2025 are due September 30, 2025.

All nominees for the ILCN Conservation Innovation Award must meet the following criteria:

• The individual, organization, or initiative has developed and implemented an inspiring innovation in the field of land conservation.
• The innovation includes or is relevant to private and civic land conservation policy and practice.

The award is not intended to recognize:

• Research or academic achievement;
• Awareness-raising or campaigns;
• The organization of conferences, meetings, or events;
• Lifetime achievement; or
• Government officials for work done as part of their job-related responsibilities.

The selection criteria for the award build upon criteria developed by the Innovations in American Government program at the Harvard Kennedy School and are defined in several past publications by Jim Levitt, for which references are provided at the bottom of this page. 

Nominees are evaluated based on the degree to which their innovation is: 

1. Creative in conception: the initiative represents a novel approach to solving a need or problem;
2. Strategically significant: it demonstrates broader strategic or cultural value to land conservation practitioners and to society, significantly advancing the way that land conservation is done in the field;
3. Measurably effective: its outcomes can be measured qualitatively or quantitatively, using a relatively objective measure;
4. Transferable across boundaries: it can be applied or adapted to different geographies and jurisdictions around the world; and
5. Enduring: it achieves, or has substantial promise to achieve, long-term impact.

In addition to the core selection criteria, the award selection committee may assign additional weight (up to 20% of the total score) to innovations that respond to priority themes or geographies identified annually by the selection committee (e.g., community-led stewardship, climate resilience, coastal ecosystems, or Indigenous land rights). These thematic or geographic priorities will be communicated at the opening of each nomination cycle and are intended to encourage innovation in areas of urgent global relevance.

The innovation may fall within any one or more of the ILCN’s five focus areas: conservation finance, conservation law and policy, land stewardship and management, organization and governance, and large landscape conservation.

Additional Considerations

The selection committee looks favorably on applications that demonstrate the following:

• The nominee is respected by relevant communities and colleagues.
• The innovation has inspired or has been adopted/adapted by others.
• The innovation has influenced land conservation policy and practice in multiple geographies.

The award selection committee leads the review and recommendation of the award recipient. The recommendation is then reviewed and approved by Lincoln Institute leadership.

During the review process, the selection committee may contact nominators to request further information about their nominees, if needed. The committee selects two to three finalists each year, from which the top-ranked candidate is recommended for the award. Upon acceptance of the award, the candidate will be invited to an online meeting with Lincoln Institute staff to discuss their innovation and explore options for utilizing the award.

For the 2025 program, the final award recipient will be announced on November 30th, 2025.

While only one award is granted annually, information about all finalists and their innovations will be disseminated with the permission of the finalists and/or their organizations through the ILCN’s website and newsletter.

The ILCN Conservation Innovation Award provides a $10,000 stipend to the award recipient to develop and carry out a form of technology transfer or knowledge exchange designed to facilitate peer learning and disseminate the innovation to a wider community of practice. Examples include writing a case study or publication; hosting a site visit or study tour; producing a podcast or documentary film; or facilitating a workshop or webinar series. Award recipients develop their plans for the use of award funds in consultation with Lincoln Institute staff.

Benefits of the Award

In addition to the global recognition associated with the ILCN Conservation Innovation Award, award recipients are invited to leverage the platform and resources of the ILCN, its network partners, and the Lincoln Institute to amplify the reach and impact of their innovation.

Award recipients benefit from a range of opportunities for networking and professional development, strategic communication, and participation in events and activities of the ILCN, the Lincoln Institute, and its partners, including the ILCN’s triennial Global Congress.