The Ai's Scarf Award 2019 went to Dr Crickette Sanz, the associate professor of Physical Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, USA. Crickette Sanz, together with her husband and collaborator, David Morgan, co-directs the study of wild Central chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) and western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) in the Goualougo Triangle and Mondika research sites located in northern Republic of Congo. They succeeded in documenting the unique repertoire of tool use by these chimpanzees and also the spectrum of social interactions that occur between sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas. They have also advanced research in this region by introducing camera traps to study ape behavior, improving survey methods to more precisely estimate ape densities, and conducting long-term monitoring of apes at risk of habitat disturbance, poaching and infectious disease transmission. The 2019 selection committee consists of Jane Goodall, Karen Strier, Juichi Yamagiwa, and Tetsuro Matsuzawa.