The award promotes and supports the innovation and excellence of individuals or legal persons who have made a significantly important contribution to protecting bees and other pollinators and raising awareness of their importance around the globe. It also encourages further activities in relation to the work and outstanding achievements of individuals or legal persons in these areas.

With World Bee Day and the Golden Bee Award, Slovenia promotes the transfer of knowledge and technology and increases the global visibility of Slovenia as a green, healthy, proactive and innovative country.

Selection procedure

Golden Bee Award is presented once a year, generally on 20 May on the occasion of World Bee Day. A seven-member committee selects the award winner.

Nominees for the award are selected through an open call for the Golden Bee Award, which is published each year by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. The open call defines the areas, conditions and criteria to be met by the nominees.

Each year, the award is given to the best project in one of the three fields, which succeed each other every three years:

• the promotion of bees and other pollinators,
• the conservation of bees and other pollinators;
• research on bees and other pollinators.

Sculpture and financial award

The award winner receives a cash prize, a sculpture and a certificate. The Golden Bee sculpture symbolises the life of bees – their trips to and from the beehive and the infinitely great tasks they accomplish through a seemingly infinite number of small actions. This reflects the direct link between bees and the actions of the award winner. Urh Wiegele produced the creative design for the Golden Bee sculpture, which was selected through an anonymous open competition.

The funds for awarding the award and the work of the committee are provided from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia. The amount of the award must not exceed 70% of the funds allocated for awarding the award and the work of the committee.

Award winners

2021 – Prof. Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi (Argentina) for achievements in in the field of promotion of bees an other pollinators

2022 - Boštjan Noč (Slovenia) for the achievements in the field of conservation of bees and other pollinators

2023 - dr. Slobodan Davidović (Serbia) for the achievements in the field of research on bees and other pollinators