The Southern California Chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS SoCal) is offering an undetermined number of  travel awards of up to $1000 each to help qualifying students and early career professionals attend the  2026 Annual Meeting of the Western Section of The Wildlife Society in Monterey, CA (2-6 February 2026). The awards may cover the costs of pre-conference symposia or workshops (see here for details). The Chapter will award grants up to a maximum of $1,000 (depending on availability of funds) per individual per calendar year. There is no grant award minimum.

**Please pass this information on to any students or recent graduates that would benefit!**

Applications are due 31 OCTOBER 2025 by 11:59 pm PDT. The successful candidate(s) will be chosen by the TWS SoCal Executive Board using the following evaluation criteria: 

Eligibility 

All applicants must meet the following criteria: 

• Be a member of TWS SoCal ($10/year; sign up here) 

• Be a student enrolled at an accredited college/university within the chapter’s geographic boundary (San Diego, Imperial, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties) 

• OR be a recent graduate (within the past 3 years) who resides or works within the chapter’s geographic boundary 

Application Instructions 

All applicants must submit electronic copies of the following: 

• Complete application form here (see attached for worksheet). 

• Proof of TWS SoCal membership (copy of membership dues payment receipt).

• An essay (500 words maximum) describing your interest and career goals in wildlife,  conservation, and management as a whole. Please include a statement of why you should receive this award. 

• If you are planning to present, please include the abstract of your poster or oral presentation and proof of acceptance (acceptance letter from TWS-WS) if you have received it. 

 

Applicants will be notified of the award results by 1 December 2025. The award recipient(s) will be reimbursed for covered expenses after the meeting and will be required to submit an expense form. The award recipient(s) is/are expected to attend the SoCal Chapter annual meeting (Wed, 4 Feb, 8-10 pm),  and to submit a newsletter article/social media post about their experience before reimbursement. Attendance at the Welcome Reception, Breakfast Roundtable, Student/ECP Speed Networking with Wildlife Professionals (Thurs, 5 Feb, 4:30-6 pm), and Awards Banquet, are highly encouraged. 

Please submit all application materials (or questions) to: 

Colleen Wisinski 

Student Affairs Committee Co-Chair

StudentAffairs@tws-socal.org 

Please include “TWS SoCal Travel Award” in the email subject line.

 

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