The Mark Shand and Tara Awards
Recognising outstanding contributions to conservation
The Mark Shand and Tara Awards celebrate extraordinary individuals and organisations who make a tangible impact on wildlife conservation.
Named in honour of Elephant Family founder Mark Shand, and Tara the Asian elephant who inspired him to start the charity, these environmental awards celebrate innovative projects and people who are dedicated to protecting wildlife, promoting coexistence and who share Mark's tireless dedication and belief in a world where people and wildlife can thrive together.
2025 Award Recipients
Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Joint Royal Presidents of Elephant Family, presented the 2025 Mark Shand and Tara Awards at Wonders of the Wild: an evening of art and conservation, held at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The Mark Shand Award was presented to Aaranyak, a leading biodiversity conservation organisation from India.
Aaranyak was awarded for its pioneering Asian elephant conservation work in Northeast India, implementing multiple approaches in order to achieve peaceful coexistence between wild elephants and communities.
Aaranyak's Deputy Executive Director, Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, who heads its Elephant Research and Conservation Division, received the award on behalf of the organisation.
The Tara Award was presented to Rebecca Campbell, a British artist and illustrator. Her paintings have been described as “delightful, enigmatic and highly imaginative. They have an impeccable sense of colour and design, coupled with a touch of humour.”
Rebecca first met Mark Shand in the 1990s. She painted her first elephant statue for Elephant Family in 2009. She was made an ambassador for the charity in 2015.
In the ten years since, she has contributed artworks to campaigns including Elephant Parade, Spirit of India and the Great Elephant Migration. Her artwork is also the visual identity of The Animal Ball, Travels To My Elephant and Concours d’Elephant as well as two special collections of Globetrotter luggage.
In 2025 she created an egg sculpture as part of The Big Egg Hunt public art campaign.
Rebecca’s longstanding support of Elephant Family is a testament to the power of art in conservation.
Previous Award Winners
The Mark Shand Award 2023
Awarded to The Real Elephant Collective (TREC) - an inspiring community of 70 Adivasi artists and conservationists from the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu who created the herd of life-size lantana elephants for the CoExistence Campaign.
The Tara Award 2023
Presented to Kartiki Gonsalves, the debut director of the Academy Award-winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers'.
Conservation
We tackle Asian wildlife's biggest threats: habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict