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Lush Prize

Image: Lush Prize

The Lush Prize is a £250,000 biennial prize fund which awards those working towards a world free from animal testing. It particularly seeks to reward those looking to replace, rather than reduce or refine, animal testing. The Lush Prize is a joint project run by Ethical Consumer and LUSH Cosmetics. 

Animal testing is both inhumane and unscientific and the Prize aims to speed the introduction of non-animal testing, particularly in toxicity testing for consumer products and ingredients.

Launched in 2012 as an annual prize, and becoming biennial in 2018, the prizes are available across a number of categories. These are:

  • Science
  • Training
  • Young Researcher
  • Public Awareness
  • Lobbying

In 2015 we also awarded a Black Box Prize, for a major breakthrough in 21st Century Toxicology – the area which holds out most hope for a ‘Eureka’ moment leading to the replacement of animal tests. The full £250,000 was awarded to a group of scientists involved in mapping, designing and approving replacement tests in the human toxicity pathway of skin sensitisation (allergy).

Lush Prize winners are chosen by a panel of independent judges comprising of research scientists, campaigners, politicians and members of the public. An awards ceremony and conference is held during each prize cycle.

Image: Lush Prize

Ethical Consumer's role in the Lush Prize

The Prize combines the research and campaigning skills of Ethical Consumer and the passion and resources of Lush staff and is the biggest prize in the non-animal testing sector. The Prize will continue until all animal testing has been replaced.

Ethical Consumer administers all aspects of the prize in collaboration with Lush Cosmetics.

This includes:

  • Facilitating the judging process
  • Promoting the Prize online and at international conferences
  • Organising the awards ceremony and conference
  • Providing briefing papers on the latest developments in areas of science and campaigning relevant to the Prize

What is the role of public awareness in ending animal testing?

Lush Prize Conference November 24th and 25th 2021

In the 1980s grassroots campaigns, protests and marches played a key role in moving the issue of ending animal testing - and for cosmetics particularly - up the political agenda. Since then a raft of new laws around the world have both restricted some types of animal testing and at the same time made other types of animal testing more likely. This has made campaigning around these issues complex and difficult to explain.

There has also been a wave of new animal-free science techniques - like organ-on-a-chip and computational toxicology - which are playing an important role in replacing animal tests, but which can be technically difficult for non-scientists to understand.

This year's Lush Prize conference, organised by Ethical Consumer, plans to examine these issues with four panels of campaigners, scientists and experts over two afternoons in November (Wed 24th and Thursday 25th). It will also feature fireside chats on subjects like ‘Inclusivity in the Animal Protection Movement’ as well as opportunities to ask questions of the specialists and network with others.

The conference will be held on Zoom and is free to attend. To find out more and to register, go to the Lush Prize website.

Drawing of white mouse alongside purple ribbon

What's happening now?

Between 2012 and 2020, Lush Prize has awarded £2.44 million to 120 projects in 28 countries. We have held conferences and awards ceremonies in London and Berlin, as well as online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To keep up to date with the work of the Lush Prize visit www.lushprize.org

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