• Defender has revealed the 56 international projects in with a chance of winning an inaugural Defender Award
• Diverse shortlist includes initiatives from disaster relief and species protection to raising awareness of skin cancer and tackling poverty and violence
• Pioneering awards programme includes entries from seven countries across four categories: Defenders of the Land, Sea, Wild and Humanity
• Defender Awards champions and supports small scale charities and nonprofit organisations that work on local humanitarian and conservation projects
• Meet the international judging panel led by Defender Managing Director, Mark Cameron, and conservation biologist, Dr Moreangels Mbizah
• Winning entries will receive a Defender vehicle, £100,000 bursary and expert mentorship – with the seven overall winners set to be announced later this year

Original British adventure brand, Defender, has revealed its shortlist for the inaugural Defender Awards. The international initiative was launched in April to recognise and reward local conservation and humanitarian heroes across four categories in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan and South Africa.

Winning entries will each receive a tough and capable Defender 4x4 to help support their vital work, a £100,000 bursary and mentoring support from a community of experts. The shortlist of 56 projects ranges from wildlife conservation and protection projects to a skin cancer checking programme in Australia for remote and at‑risk communities.

The Defender Awards sees the brand extend its long‑established support for conservation and humanitarian causes, following 70 years of partnership with the British Red Cross and 20 years of collaboration with African conservation charity Tusk.

Fellow judges include German adventure and landscape photographer Max Muench, and Swiss explorer and environmentalist Bertrand Piccard, founder of a search engine for climate action, Solar Pulse Foundation. They will be joined by Italian actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Alessandra Mastronardi, Australian TV presenter and National Geographic filmmaker Tyson Mayr, and Michiaki Matsushima, Editorial Director for Wired Japan. 

The shortlisted Defender Awards entries will be evaluated based on their alignment across four elements. The judges will consider each entry’s alignment with its chosen award category, assess the impact the project is making and rate the level of innovation involved in their operations. In addition, the panel will assess how a capable Defender 4x4 will contribute to each project’s success.

Rich diversity and innovation

Defender is a brand with purpose at its heart, with humanitarian roots that can be traced back to the first Series Land Rovers of 1948. It is committed to supporting the heroes who embrace the impossible every day. The shortlisted projects cover a broad range of topics and a variety of approaches, from raising awareness of issues to taking direct action to alleviate suffering or bring about positive change. 

In the Defenders of the Land category, eye‑catching entries include Fondazione Sylva, A Forest for Arnesano in Southeast Italy. The organisation regenerates abandoned or Mafia‑confiscated land and transforms it into forests for native species to enhance biodiversity, improve air quality and mitigate climate change. The proposed project aims to complete the reforestation of the Arnesano area and includes educational activities for young people.

It is accompanied by projects with similar ambitions from Japan. The Next Commons Lab initiative views forests, rivers and landscapes and seas as interconnected common areas to be regenerated and sustained. The success of its pilot site in Owase City, Mie Prefecture, saw the population of red‑bellied newts – a near‑threatened species – show a remarkable recovery. The Kinshizen Forest Creation Association Seedling Bank, meanwhile, stores seedlings to create and safeguard future forests. It relies on the natural process, Misho, where saplings up to 10cm tall remain dormant for decades while shaded, to store up to 10,000 seedlings.

The Defenders of the Wild shortlist includes a project focused on returning an apex predator to landscapes it hasn’t occupied for more than 200 years, as a catalyst for broader landscape recovery. The Restoring Upland Nature (RUN) programme aims to return the Golden Eagle to UK skies using a combination of cutting‑edge conservation science and hands‑on engagement, working with landowners, gamekeepers, schools and community groups.

The African Pangolin Working Group is dedicated to the treatment and rehabilitation of Temminck’s Pangolin. This vulnerable species is traded for its meat and distinctive scales. The organisation’s purpose‑built veterinary facility, the Pangolarium, is situated in the Lapalala Wilderness Reserve in South Africa. 

In the Defenders of Humanity category, the shortlist includes Project Check Mate, which aims to bring early detection services to the people most at risk of skin cancer in Australia – where rates are 12 times the global average. Over the last decade, the organisation has conducted more than 25,000 checks, identifying more than 600 potential melanomas.

A volunteer organisation in Italy offering drone‑assisted monitoring and search and rescue services is also shortlisted in this category. ReAct helps vulnerable communities with emergency response operations during natural disasters such as floods, fires and earthquakes. It uses both ground and aerial drones equipped with powerful 360‑degree cameras and infra‑red technology, often working from inaccessible locations.

Sapocycle, in Germany, takes an innovative approach to reducing waste by recycling used hotel soaps. It aims to provide meaningful work for people with disabilities while giving those in need access to hygiene and transports 1,500 bars of soap across Germany each month – a mission perfectly suited to Defender.

Among the Defenders of the Sea entries to make the shortlist is the BlueHeart project in Germany. The brainchild of extreme swimmer André Wiersig, it aims to raise awareness of and foster empathy for environmental issues such as plastic pollution and over‑fishing. In the UK, the Women in Ocean Science initiative has made the shortlist. It is focused on empowering the next generation of female ocean leaders, delivering marine research, restoration and outreach through a trio of women‑led coastal expeditions. 

From France, the Blue Carbon Gardeners project aims to restore underwater forests responsible for carbon sequestration, supporting marine biodiversity and protecting against coastal erosion. Based in the Bay of Calvi, Corsica, it employs an innovative method of transplanting natural Posidonia seagrass cuttings, using biodegradable staples, to restore damage caused by anchoring boats. This is an initiative that will resonate across the Mediterranean.