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 https://monterey2026.tws-west.org/ 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 https://monterey2026.tws-west.org/pre-meeting-workshops/ 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 https://wildlife.org/socal/membership/) • 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 https://forms.gle/nb2KQbGnsDwWubkT6 (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.* ****If you received this in error, please let me know to remove you from our mailing list.****