AZA Exhibit Award Winners

[Zooplantman]

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.

Well, you have one up on the AZA judges: you've actually seen these exhibits. They only get to review the zoo's own submittal materials.

Here's info on what they submit
http://www.aza.org/uploadedFiles/Membership/Honors_and_Awards/ExhibitGuidelines.pdf

 

[geomorph]

Are the judges prohibited from visiting the the exhibits once they are submitted?

 

[Zooplantman]

Are the judges prohibited from visiting the the exhibits once they are submitted?

I don't know if they are prohibited. But they are all zoo professionals and would not fly around the country for this (too time consuming and costly). I expect they are all required to make recommendations based on the same info, i.e. the submitted materials.

Here's info on what is submitted:
http://www.aza.org/uploadedFiles/Membership/Honors_and_Awards/ExhibitGuidelines.pdf

 

[geomorph]

zooplantman, thanks for the link! It makes sense that the judges wouldn't have the time or budget to do a whirlwind tour, and that they can approach each submission on a level field.

 

[geomorph]

reduakari, I didn't realize CAS had dropped their AZA status but it makes sense, their temporary exhibit building that they had for a few years during the transition was probably not up to standards!