Nominations will open soon for the American Ornithological Society’s (AOS) 2027 Council, Classes of Fellows and Elective Members, and various Society awards. Through our annual election and awards programs, AOS members select leadership for the Society and celebrate the notable achievements of ornithologists who are engaged in critical and innovative avian research and conservation science, research publication, and service to the Society. We rely on YOU, our members, to nominate your colleagues, mentees, and mentors for these leadership positions and prestigious awards. Additionally, the AOS sponsors memberships for students who have not previously been members of the Society.
2027 AOS Council
All AOS members are invited to submit nominations for open positions on the AOS Council, the Society’s governing body. In the spring, the Society will elect four new Elective Councilors and one Elective Student Councilor. In addition, the AOS annually elects a Secretary and Treasurer. Nominations require the consent of the nominee and can be submitted via our Member Portal. Full details, including instructions for submitting nominations, are on the AOS website. Elections will be held in the spring of 2027.
Nomination Deadline: 15 December 2026
Fellows & Elective Members | Class of 2027
We invite nominations for consideration for AOS’s Special Membership Classes of Elective Member and Fellow, which recognize members for their exceptional contributions to ornithology and/or to AOS. Current Elective Members and Fellows may submit full nominations through the Member Portal. Any AOS member may suggest names for consideration as either Fellow or Elective Member nominees by completing the questionnaire included in the AOS Fellow & Elective Members nomination form in the AOS Member Portal. Suggested nominees will be considered and potentially nominated by the Nomination of Fellows and Elective Members Committee. Full details, including instructions for submitting nominations, are on the AOS website.
Nomination Deadline: 15 December 2026
Society Awards
Details and eligibility criteria for our 2027 awards are presented on our website for the Senior Professional Awards, Early Professional Awards*, Conservation Awards, Service Awards, and Publication Awards. Award winners are announced annually in the spring and will be presented at the AOS’s 2027 Annual Meeting, which will be hosted in Madison, Wisconsin, in August.
Nomination Deadline: 15 December 2026
*Please note the early deadline of 15 November for the Early Professional Awards if you are nominating someone other than yourself. This allows the committee time to reach out to those individuals to confirm their acceptance of the nomination and provide the nominee time to submit their completed information ahead of the 15 December deadline.
AOS-sponsored Student Memberships
AOS-sponsored Student Memberships: Do you know a student who is interested in joining the AOS? AOS grants free, one-year student memberships to students from anywhere in the world who are interested in pursuing a career in ornithology and are new to the Society. Qualified applicants for an AOS-sponsored student membership will receive the full benefits of AOS membership through December 2027.
Applications are due by 31 December 2026.
Links to AOS Nomination Forms
- AOS Council Nomination Form
- AOS Fellows and Elective Member Nomination Form
- 2027 Senior Professional Awards Nomination Form
- 2027 Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award Nomination Form*
- 2027 James G. Cooper Early Professional Award Nomination Form*
- 2027 Conservation Awards
- 2027 AOS Service Awards Nomination Form
- 2027 Katma Publication Award
- 2027 AOS-sponsored Student Memberships (due by 12/31/26)
*Full nominations for Early Professional Awards are due by 15 December. However, 2nd-party nominations (nominations of someone other than yourself) must be submitted early by November 15 to allow the Nomination Committee enough time to reach out to the nominee and for that person to submit their completed information ahead of the 15 December deadline for all full nominations. Additional instructions are available using the Ned K. Johnson and James G. Cooper nomination links above.