Defender Awards to benefit charities in seven countries
The inaugural Defender Awards will benefit conservation and humanitarian charities in seven countries with a total prize value of more than £1 million.
Automotive adventure brand Defender has launched The Defender Awards, its inaugural initiative that will benefit small non-profit conservation and humanitarian charities and organisations across the globe.
Underpinned by Land Rover, the Defender brand already supports humanitarian and conservation work with the British Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Tusk Trust. It began working with the British Red Cross in 1954, where its first vehicles were deployed with British Red Cross nurses in Kenya and Dubai, making it one of the world’s longest-standing humanitarian partnerships.
The Defender Awards initiative will run over two years and will benefit charities in seven countries – the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan and South Africa.
The recipients will win a £100,000 bursary, a Defender vehicle and expert mentorship in a total commitment worth more than £1 million.
Entries are invited from programmes working in one of four categories:
- Defenders of the Wild – protecting endangered and at-risk species
- Defenders of Humanity – supporting vulnerable communities
- Defenders of the Land – protecting and restoring the most precious and fragile places on earth
- Defenders of the Sea – protecting marine species and environments
Applications for the Defender Awards are open from 2nd April to 16th June 2025.
National judges will select two entries in each of the four awards categories, to create a 56-strong international shortlist, before a judging panel of globally-renowned conservation and humanitarian experts selects the seven overall winners.
Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender, said:
“We have launched Defender Awards to recognise and support conservation and humanitarian heroes. Our new programme represents an investment of more than £1m and will assemble an international network of experts to share knowledge and help advance change. It is international in scale but has a local focus and will enrich Defender’s rich history of supporting vulnerable habitats, species and communities.”
Charlie Mayhew OBE, Founder and President of Tusk, said:
“Our partnership with Defender goes from strength to strength and many of our project partners have been relying on Defender vehicles to support their operations for more than 20 years. The new Defender Awards initiative represents a valuable opportunity for smaller organisations to begin their own relationships – and benefit from additional funding and expertise, as well as the 4×4 capability that is associated with Defender.”
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