The Dallas sp. Award- For excellence in contribution to and promotion of sustainable reef aquariums in Australia is MASA's premier and highest accolade, awarded to an individual or group in recognition of their achievements within the Australian Reefing community and in fulfilling the spirit of the MASA Mission Statement.
The MASA Mission Statement;
To act as an information resource for all Australian marine aquarists, whether part of a marine aquarium society or not.
To bring the marine aquarium hobby together within Australia, to allow growth and sharing of knowledge and expertise.
To work with all relevant organisations, both national and international, in order to;
Educate, inform, and support best practises for sustainability, and
Encourage captive propagation and thereby encourage advances in marine aquarium husbandry and further reduce collection impact on the environment.
To offer assistance to hobbyists in the establishment and ongoing administration of local marine aquarium societies.
To actively promote sustainable practices in the hobby, including, but not limited to:
captive propagation, both recreationally and commercially, and
drastic reductions in mortality rates during collection, handling and holding of animals within the commercial sphere of the hobby.
To act as a political voice at both a state and federal level on issues pertaining to marine aquarium keeping.
To provide common online resources to enhance the feeling of community amongst reef keepers.
The award is a one-off bursary of $1,000 and will be awarded in January 2015.
The award is open to open to all MASA members, students/under & post graduates, private researchers, research organisations, individuals/organisations/societies developing sustainable reefing practices and or fostering the development of the hobby within their community.
Nominations are by self or third party and must include supporting information as to why the nominee is a deserved recipient of the award.
Nominations will be taken within this thread and will close on the 7th of December at 12pm.
Following the closing of the nomination period, the MASA committee will assess candidates and vote, with the majority winner being announced in January.
The awarding of the bursary remains entirely at the discretion of the MASA committee and all decisions are final.
I urge all our members to take the time and consider the past year in Australian Reefing; the people that have contributed to building and supporting the hobby and community that you enjoy should be acknowledged for their selfless and tireless work, this is your opportunity to do so.
Thank you and happy reefing!
