Changemaker award | Replacing Animal Research

Meet the 2026 winners!

We’re so excited to announce the two brilliant changemakers taking home our Changemaker Award. Each winner’s received £500 to support their vital work in advancing animal-free research.

We launched these awards to celebrate people making a real, tangible impact in science. From building regional hubs for new technologies to tackling systemic bias in publishing, these winners are changing the landscape for good:

Winners:

Professor Marize Campos Valadares: A Professor of Toxicology at Universidade Federal de Goiás in Brazil, Marize has spent two decades integrating non-animal methods into regulatory frameworks and education.

Catharine E. Krebs, PhD: Program Manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Catharine founded the Coalition to Illuminate and Address Animal Methods Bias (COLAAB) to tackle the systemic preference for animal-based research in peer-review and funding.

Runner up:

Dania Movia (Runner-up) | Maynooth University

Shortlisted:

The 2026 Changemaker Award

We want to hear your stories!

Our new Changemaker Award is to recognise and celebrate individuals doing the hard work of championing Replacement where it is needed most, whether that is in academia or industry, in your professional life, or through volunteering and advocacy work.

Nominations for the award are open until March 31st, and we will announce our shortlist and winner during our Changemaker month in May.

The Changemaker Award celebrates individuals who have “swum against the tide” or “gone above and beyond” to champion the replacement of animals in scientific research or testing. This award is to recognise and celebrate individuals who are challenging norms, overcoming adversity, and driving lasting change through collaboration and courage.

This may, for example, be in the fields of science, academia, or policy and achieved through work or wider life activities.

Who can nominate?

You can! Self-nominations, supported by references, are accepted and encouraged.
Anyone affiliated with the nominee’s organisation or sector (e.g. colleagues, managers, stakeholders, and collaborators).

Please note that we cannot accept late nominations or nominations not made through the official form.

Find out more in our nominator guidance document.

For more information, please read the Changemaker Award T&Cs.

How do I nominate?

Fill out our Changemaker Award Nomination Form and email it to hello@replacinganimalresearch.org.uk with the subject line ‘Changemaker award 2026’ by March 31st

Changemaker award nomination form