WWF’s Dr. Rimington Award recognises passionate individuals who have greatly contributed to the conservation of wild tigers. This year's winner of the children’s category is Sasha from Malaysia. With the runners-up in the award; Yang and Xu from China and Oskar from Austria.

So what does it take to be a young tiger protector? Here are four things you need to know about this year’s winner and runners-up of the 2021 Dr. Rimington Children’s Award.

1. They’re dedicated to protecting tigers.

Sasha is 12 years old, lives in Malaysia, and is this year’s winner. Her remarkable dedication to this iconic big cat is shown through her effort and creativity in a student-led initiative she started at her school which raised over US$10,000 for tiger conservation. The initiative, which Sasha helped develop unique branding for, held a student art competition to raise awareness and then turned the winning entries into a calendar which they printed and sold as a fundraiser. 

“I couldn’t ignore the plight of tigers in Malaysia. I wanted to do my part to save tigers, which happens to be my family’s favourite animal, from extinction. When we make the world a better place for tigers, we also make the world a better place for us,” - Sasha.

2. They inspire others to learn more about tigers.

Xu is only 9 years old and one of the runners-up for the Children’s Award. She is a vocal advocate for tigers at her school, holding talks about tigers and creating videos to engage her classmates. Did you know sharing your passion for something is a great way of inspiring others?

“I believe that if we work together to protect the tigers, we can do it!,” - Xu, based in Jilin Province, China, which is one of the only provinces in the country that is still home to wild tigers.

3. They go the extra mile.

It might feel like too big a challenge to impact positively on the future of an endangered animal but at 11 years old runner-up Yang, also based in Jilin Province, China, proved that wrong. 

Yang has been championing tigers over the past year and she has had great success. Not only has she shared her passion for tigers with her classmates she also took part in a local radio competition. Her chosen topic? Tigers! Yang went on to win the "Nature Protector" Little Science Explainer competition and we can’t wait to see what she does next.

4. They think outside the box.

Oskar - 8 years old and from Austria - saw a WWF TV appeal about tigers when he was just 4 years old and has since supported WWF through the adopt a tiger program. He’s one of the runners-up for the Dr. Rimington Children’s Award and is now helping to protect tigers one glass of lemonade at a time. With the support of his friends Oskar’s lemonade stand, set up in his local park, has been a real hit and helped to raise vital funds to support WWF’s tiger recovery work.

He regularly sends letters to WWF and even visited the local team in Vienna to learn more about WWF’s tiger projects. He also loves to draw tigers!

Thank you to the Rimington family for their support to WWF and the next generation in their efforts to protect tigers and the natural world.