My Missed Trip to London and THE LUSH PRIZE 2014!!

LUSH PRIZE 2014 – SCIENTISTS AND CAMPAIGNERS RECOGNIZED IN AWARDS TO END ANIMAL TESTING

I was invited to one of the most exciting events of the year! No – not because of the glitz and the glam (although there was a bit of that), but because it’s one of the most important things happening in the quest to end animal testing – the LUSH 2014 prize and celebration of those who are working hard to end animal cruelty.

LUSH invited me to London, and I am SO bummed I wasn’t able to make it because I got the bubonic plague (okay fine – maybe just a virus) and there was no way I could get on a plane to the UK. That could have been my place at the table in the pic above (sniff!). But, I was extremely honored that they wanted me to attend, and was really looking forward to learning more about alternatives to animal testing. But, at least I can share this information and images of the winners and the wonderful people who were honored at the LUSH Prize event last week.

Love the science decor!

Scientists and campaigners from 10 countries were recognized for their contributions to ending animal testing in this year’s LUSH Prize. The 12 winners will share £250,000 in prize money in what is the largest annual fund of its kind.

They received their awards at a ceremony hosted by comedian Lucy Porter on Friday, November 14th at the Royal Institute of British Architects in London. You can see all of the winners here.

The LUSH Prize, now in its third year, provides a quarter of a million pounds across five categories of science, lobbying and campaigning. The different prizes recognize the variety of work that is needed to achieve a future without experimenting on animals, particularly in the field of cosmetics and toxicology (chemical testing).

The seating chart (sniff!)

This year’s winners, a mix of scientists, campaigners and lobbyists, come from: Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Kenya, Brazil and five European countries (Netherlands, Denmark, Bulgaria, and two winners from both Germany and Sweden). The winners were chosen from a shortlist of 35 by an international panel of expert judges.

“This year’s winners again reveal the fantastic work that is being done around the world to end the cruel and scientifically invalid use of animals in experiments for chemical and cosmetics testing. This year’s Prize is the furthest reaching so far and we were particularly keen to see our first winner from Africa,” said Rob Harrison, spokesperson for the LUSH Prize.

Dr. Jonathan Nicolas Wageningen – University and Research Centre in the Netherlands

“Scientists and legislators are increasingly recognizing that non-animal testing will lead to future developments and the LUSH Prize can support those initiatives through our annual financial awards of £250,000.

From public awareness campaigns in Taiwan and New Zealand to supporting the work of young researchers and cutting-edge science in non-animal toxicology studies, the LUSH Prize is excited to recognize this work which provides a better future for animals and a more reliable way of furthering science,” he said.

Taiwan SPCA -Beki Hunt

“We hope and pray that very soon testing on animals will be consigned to the history books,” said Hilary Jones, Ethics Director at LUSH. “Furthermore, we put our money and effort towards hastening that future. The LUSH Prize rewards those who are making new breakthroughs and scientific advances. These are the people who are at the practical end of making a new future.”

An estimated 115 million animals are used in laboratory experiments around the world each year.

We can all do our part – by buying cosmetics that are not tested on animals. See a list here.