Whitley Awards (Australia)

This article is about the Whitley Awards in Australia. For the Whitley Awards in the UK, see Whitley Awards (UK).

The Whitley Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales (RZSNSW). They commemorate Gilbert Whitley, an eminent Australian ichthyologist, and are presented for outstanding publications, either printed or electronic, that contain new information about the fauna of the Australasian region.

For a publication to receive a Whitley Award it must either make a significant contribution of new information, present a new synthesis of existing information, or present existing information in a more acceptable form. All texts must contain a significant proportion of information that relates directly to Australasian zoology. Moreover, all submissions must have been published within 18 months of the awards entry date.

A presentation ceremony is held each year in September at the Australian Museum in Sydney when the authors and publishers of the winning titles receive their awards.

Awards

Certificates of Commendation may be awarded to publications judged as the best in various categories including, but not limited to, illustrated publications, textbooks, field guides, reference works, historical zoology, periodicals, handbooks, children’s publications, CD-ROMs, limited editions and videos.

Whitley Medal

The Whitley Medal may be awarded to a publication deemed to be of superior quality that makes a landmark contribution to the understanding, content or dissemination of zoological knowledge. The Whitley Medal is the top award in zoological publishing in Australia and is not necessarily awarded every year, though sometimes more than one medal may be awarded.

Whitley Medal Winners: 2000 to 2024[1][2]
Year Title Author Publisher
2024[3] Mammals of the South-west Pacific Tyrone Lavery and Tim Flannery CSIRO Publishing
2023[4] Prehistoric Australasia Michael Archer, Suzanne Hand, John Long, Trevor Worthy and Peter Schouten (illustrator) CSIRO Publishing
2022[5] Australian Deserts: Ecology and Landscapes Steve Morton CSIRO Publishing
2020 Hawkmoths of Australia: Identification, Biology and Distribution Maxwell Moulds, James Tuttle and David Lane CSIRO Publishing
2019 Zobi and the Zoox: A Story of Coral Bleaching Ailsa Wild, Aviva Reed, Briony Barr & Gregory Crocetti CSIRO Publishing
2018 Australian Echinoderms: Biology, Ecology and Evolution Maria Byrne & Timothy O’Hara CSIRO Publishing
2017 The Australian Bird Guide Peter Menkhorst, Danny Rogers, Rohan Clarke, Jeff Davies, Peter Marsack & Kim Franklin CSIRO Publishing
2016 Handbook of the Mammals of the World - Volume 5 Monotremes and Marsupials
The Fishes of New Zealand Volumes 1-4 		Don E. Wilson and Russell Mittermeier (editors)
Clive Roberts, Andrew Stewart and Carl Struthers (editors) 		Lynx Edicions
Te Papa Press
2015 Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians Gordon Grigg, David Kirshner CSIRO Publishing
2014 Tadpoles and Frogs of Australia Marion Anstis New Holland Publishers
2013 Field Guide to the Dragonflies of New Guinea / Buku Panduan

Lapangan Capung Jarum untuk Wilayah New Guinea (Brachytron vol. 16)

Vincent Kalkman, Albert Orr Nederlandse Vereniging voor Libellenstudie
2013 Ecology of Australian Freshwater Fishes Paul Humphries, Keith Walker (editors) CSIRO Publishing
2012 No medal awarded
2011 Australian Land Snails Volume 1: A Field Guide to Eastern Australian Species John Stanisic, Michael Shea, Darryl Potter,

Owen Giffiths

Bioculture Press
2010 A Guide to the Beetles of Australia George Hangay, Paul Zborowski CSIRO Publishing
2009 Boom & Bust: Bird Stories for a Dry Country Libby Robin, Robert Heinsohn, Leo Joseph (editors) CSIRO Publishing
2008 A Fragile Balance: The Extraordinary Story of Australian Marsupials Christopher Dickman, Rosemary Woodford

Ganf (illustrator)

Craftsman House
2007 Australia’s Mammal Extinctions: A 50,000 Year History Chris Johnson Cambridge University Press
2006 Adelaide: Nature of a City - The Ecology of a Dynamic City

From 1836 to 2036

Christopher Daniels, Catherine Tait (editors) Biocity
2005 Life of Marsupials Hugh Tyndale-Biscoe CSIRO Publishing
2005 Freshwater Fishes of North-Eastern Australia Brad Pusey, Mark Kennard, Angela Arthington CSIRO Publishing
2004 Australian Mammals: Biology and Captive Management Stephen Jackson CSIRO Publishing
2004 Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of

the Australian Dreamtime

Peter Murray, Patricia Vickers-Rich Indiana University Press
2004 Beneath Southern Seas: Sharks, Rays, Seahorses & Other

Fishes of Australia's Unique Coast [videorecording]

George Evatt (Director) Coral Sea Television
2003 The Waterbug Book: A Guide to the Freshwater Macroinvertebrates of Temperate Australia John Gooderham, Edward Tsyrlin CSIRO Publishing
2002 Tadpoles of South-Eastern Australia: A Guide With Key Marion Anstis New Holland Publishers
2001 The Last Tasmanian Tiger: The History and Extinction of the Thylacine Robert Paddle Cambridge University Press
2001 Butterflies of Australia: Their Identification, Biology and Distribution Michael F. Braby CSIRO Publishing
2000 Marsupial Nutrition Ian Hume Cambridge University Press

See also

References

  1. ^ "Whitley Award Winners". rzsnsw.org.au. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  2. ^ "A historical list of Whitley Award Winners" (PDF). rzsnsw.org.au. Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Whitley Awards 2024 winners announced". Books+Publishing. 2024-10-23. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  4. ^ "Whitley Awards 2023". Royal Zoological Society of NSW. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  5. ^ Chandler, Melinda (2022-10-12). "Whitley Awards 2022: Celebrating Australasian zoological literature". CSIRO PUBLISHING. Retrieved 2023-08-21.