AZA Exhibit Award Winners

snowleopard

snowleopard

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Association of Zoos and Aquariums

This is a link to every one of the AZA award winners for exhibit design.

Number of awards for Aquariums:

Monterey Bay - 4
John G. Shedd - 4
Sea World Florida - 2
Sea World San Diego - 1
New England - 1
Seattle - 1
Hanna Barbera Marineland - 1

Number of awards for Zoos:

Bronx Zoo - 7
Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo - 5

San Diego Zoo - 2
Detroit Zoo - 2
Lincoln Park Zoo - 2
National Zoo in Washington - 2
Louisville Zoo - 2
St. Louis Zoo - 2
Cincinnati Zoo - 2
Oregon Zoo - 2
Brookfield Zoo - 2

Jacksonville Zoo - 1
Houston Zoo - 1
Philadelphia Zoo - 1
San Antonio Zoo - 1
Denver Zoo - 1
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - 1
Topeka Zoo - 1
Toledo Zoo - 1
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - 1
Minnesota Zoo - 1
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium - 1
Audobon Park Zoo - 1
 
Okapikpr already posted this list of upcoming 2008 zoo exhibits. It will be interesting to see which one(s) become award winners for this year. Could the Bronx Zoo win yet another exhibit award? Judging from their website, the Minnesota Zoo has a great opportunity...


Bronx Zoo - Madagascar
Buffalo Zoo - South American Rainforest
Busch Gardens, Tampa - Jungala (Asian wildlife)
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo - Rocky Mountain Wild
Columbus Zoo - Polar Frontier
Houston Zoo - Phase I of new Elephant exhibit
John Ball Zoo - African Lions
Kansas City Zoo - Tropics Building and new Entry
Los Angeles Zoo - Golden Monkeys
Louisville Zoo - Amur Tiger Encounter
Mesker Park Zoo - Amazonia
Miami Metrozoo - Amazon and Beyond
Minnesota Zoo - Russia's Grizzly Coast
Monterey Bay Aquarium - Splash Zone expansion
North Carolina Zoo - Watasi Grasslands
Oregon Zoo - Red Ape Reserve
Palm Beach Zoo - Florida Pioneer Trail Reptile House
St Augustine Alligator Farm - Herpetarium/Komodo Dragons
San Antonio Zoo - African Live
Santa Barbara Zoo - Condor Country
SeaLife LEGOLAND - Grand Opening
Steinhart Aquarium - Grand Re-opening
Tanganyika Wildlife Park - Grand Opening
Zoo Boise - African Plains
Zoo Montana - Grizzly Bears
 
Now the exhibit awards are based on more than just exhibit design...some of the best exhibits dont even get the award because they dont meet the criteria or the zoo submitted a poor award application. A lot of weight is given on education (graphics & interpretations) and husbandry. Also, any exhibit built in the last three years is eligible for the award. So the exhibits above wont be eligible for this year's award, but they will be for next year's award.

From the list above, my money is on Steinhart Aquarium, Miami Metrozoo, or Bronx Zoo for winning.

The exhibit award isnt necessarily for the best exhibit, but the best exhibit of the good applications sent in by zoos that apply for the award (not all do).
 
@okapikpr: Interesting comments relating to the award process. I'm shocked to learn that not all zoos with exciting new exhibits apply for the AZA Best Exhibit prize. Why wouldn't a zoo attempt to gain some publicity and boost attendance? All of the past winners have sent out some kind of announcement to the public proclaiming themselves victors, and it seems like there would be a vast amount of pride established in winning such a prestigious honour.
 
I dont know, why more zoos dont apply. But applications numbers increase every year and it has become really cost effective to send one in. Two years ago, zoos had to create a three-ring binder for each award judge (there are quite a few) - this i'm sure was quite expensive. Now the application has to be pdf (also saves paper) and zoos can email the application or mail in a cd for each judge.

Usually the big zoos with some kind of marketing/publications department send in applications. But you would be surprised that some of the big zoos dont quite have the best applications - some of those marketing techniques dont quite work for the award applications as they would for a fundraising brochure or a membership magazine.
 
okapikpr said:
From the list above, my money is on Steinhart Aquarium, Miami Metrozoo, or Bronx Zoo for winning.
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:D Well, I certainly hope you are right! But of this year's crop, I think Minnesota Zoo has more going for it.

As okapikpr writes, the award is more about the application than the exhibit. The judges do not visit the zoo's applying.

Still, what does the award really mean? Other than bragging rights among colleagues, it has little PR or marketing value. And some of the exhibits so honored have been mediocre at best. Truth is, there aren't very many exemplary exhibits. If the animal enclosure is great, the educational value/graphics are weak. If the holding areas are state of the art, the outdoor yard is embarrassing. For the award to have meaning, IMO, they would only present it when it was warranted and not offer any award if the applicants were not up to snuff.
Has anyone seen last year's winner? Is it worthy of emulation or adulation? :cool:
 
I too am interested whether or not anyone has seen "Big Cat Falls" at the Philadelphia Zoo. Also, I wonder if the National Zoo in Washington D.C. will have an opportunity to win Best Exhibit for their giant panda, red panda, clouded leopard, small-clawed otter, giant salamander, sloth bear, fishing cat Asian set of exhibits that opened last year?
 
snowleopard said:
I too am interested whether or not anyone has seen "Big Cat Falls" at the Philadelphia Zoo. Also, I wonder if the National Zoo in Washington D.C. will have an opportunity to win Best Exhibit for their giant panda, red panda, clouded leopard, small-clawed otter, giant salamander, sloth bear, fishing cat Asian set of exhibits that opened last year?
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Do I recall correctly that the National Zoo exhibit lost out last year to "Big Cat Falls"?

Anyway, I saw Big Cat Falls and was disappointed. Its pretty good for Philadelphia, but you've seen far better exhibits! I suppose it is a great improvement over the old cat house (which this is a rehab of) but the public areas were uninspired and the views into the enclosures uninteresting, in my opinion. There's no reason I can see that it couldn't have been better!
 

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@Zooplantman: maybe I should skip the Philadelphia Zoo on my summer road trip, as your review disappoints me. I suppose that you are correct when you state that there are many mediocre exhibits that have won awards. One thing that I think is fantastic is the fact that the 5 species of big cats all rotate through the various enclosures, as that can only lead to a powerful enrichment program.
 
I wonder if all species really do rotate like that? Several enclosures, as I recall, are too specific (lions in the snow leopard yard?)

I recall when we designed Congo Gorilla Forest, great care was put into making it possible to rotate the two gorilla troops. But the General Curator at the time said that he would never do it.
 
snowleopard: Go to the Bronx Zoo...it is not far off I-95 so easy in and out, avoid NYC if you want. If you want a mellow place to stay not too far, I can recommend a terrific B&B on City Island. You'll love it...not at all the hustle of NYC

I enjoy the city of Philadelphia, but the zoo offers little. They are re-doing the Bird House and a new Children's zone. Maybe they open this spring? But stilll....
 
What is the difference between Top Award and Significant Achievement? Is Significant Achievement simply another way of saying Honorable Mention?
 
@FSBlue: you basically summed it up. Not all zoos send in their applications for new exhibits, but out of the ones that do there is one winner and anywhere from 1-3 runners-up. The Bronx Zoo has 7 awards, Woodland Park actually has 6, and no other zoo has more than 2 awards.
 
So does anyone have any predictions on the winner? I'm not sure if Amazon and Beyond at Miami has been open long enough for it to qualify. I don't think Elephant Odyssey at San Diego was open by the submission deadline. I don't think it will be the McNeil Avian Center at Philadelphia, which might be too new for submission as well. Will it be Russia's Grizzly Coast at Minnesota, or another slightly older exhibit? And will there be an aquarium exhibit winner or runnerup? Perhaps a small detailed exhibit, coming up from behind, Cinderella story!
 
geomorph said:
So does anyone have any predictions on the winner? I'm not sure if Amazon and Beyond at Miami has been open long enough for it to qualify. I don't think Elephant Odyssey at San Diego was open by the submission deadline. I don't think it will be the McNeil Avian Center at Philadelphia, which might be too new for submission as well. Will it be Russia's Grizzly Coast at Minnesota, or another slightly older exhibit? And will there be an aquarium exhibit winner or runnerup? Perhaps a small detailed exhibit, coming up from behind, Cinderella story!
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The smart money is on either "Russia's Grizzly Coast" in Minnesota or "Madagascar!" at the Bronx Zoo
 
I also suspect that the Steinhart Aquarium in the new California Academy of Sciences will be a contender for runner-up if they are submitting...if they would need to submit for just one of the exhibits, it reduces their chances, but I think the Phillipine Coral Reef aquarium is the most likely since it has a few unique angles...it is a very deep tank, has live coral, and focuses on a conservation message from one specific region. It is also housed in a super-green building which may influence the judging as well. And they have been advertising that particular exhibit in local banners on several websites I have seen, so it makes me wonder. Does anyone know which exhibits have been submitted this year?
 
geomorph said:
I also suspect that the Steinhart Aquarium in the new California Academy of Sciences will be a contender for runner-up if they are submitting...if they would need to submit for just one of the exhibits, it reduces their chances, but I think the Phillipine Coral Reef aquarium is the most likely since it has a few unique angles...it is a very deep tank, has live coral, and focuses on a conservation message from one specific region. It is also housed in a super-green building which may influence the judging as well. And they have been advertising that particular exhibit in local banners on several websites I have seen, so it makes me wonder. Does anyone know which exhibits have been submitted this year?
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CAS is not a current member of AZA, so could not be eligible to submit for the award. I would guess now that they are up and running again, they may re-join AZA, as they were in the past before the closure and reconstruction.
 
geomorph said:
So does anyone have any predictions on the winner? I'm not sure if Amazon and Beyond at Miami has been open long enough for it to qualify.
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I may not have but it will be almost a sure winner in a year or two. Its the best South American collection I have ever seen.

Bronx's Madagascar is my pick this year.
 
The Minnesota Zoo's "Russia's Grizzly Coast" is unbelievably great, and I'm sure that it will seriously challenge the Bronx Zoo's "Madagascar" redesign of a 100 year-old building. If Minnesota wins next month at the AZA conference in Oregon then it will be the second consecutive year that the zoo has been featured in the Best Exhibit category. Last year Minnesota received acclaim for being runners-up to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
 
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